


Settle down inside my love

by fading_star



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Angst, Attraction, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Jealous Oliver, Jealousy, Love, Oliver is a bit of a douche, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Smut, Unresolved Sexual Tension, but he's still a cutie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-07-23 16:39:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 67,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7471185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fading_star/pseuds/fading_star
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver Queen has been trying to get Felicity Smoak in bed for years. What happens when one day she says yes? More importantly, what happens after that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeelloo!  
> I'm back! My exams are over and I can finally breathe! ^_^  
> I hope you're all well!   
> Here's my new Olicity story and I hope you guys like it! I'm really excited because I have great ideas for it, hopefully I'll do them justice!   
> This first chapter mostly shows the background of Oliver and Felicity, how they met and the things that have happened between them throughout the years. The real action starts in the beginning of Chapter 2. Keep in mind that in this AU Oliver didn't go on the island and so he's basically a bit of a douche. I promise, though, he'll get better. *wink*  
> This isn't beta-d, all mistakes are mine!   
> I really hope you like this story, because the more people enjoy my stories, the more enthusiastic I am to write!  
> Happy reading, guys! ^_^

 

(Felicity- 15 years old, Oliver- 20 years old)

Felicity leaned on her locker and sighed.

First days in a new school were never easy. Being an awkward and talkative teenager with no brain to mouth filter didn’t make things better for her. _Well, at least she was smart_.

She looked at the mirror she had attached to her locker and gave herself a small reassuring smile. When she turned around she saw the other kids walking around in groups, talking, laughing and grinning at each other. Just when she was about to take her first step she clashed with somebody. The sudden contact made her drop her books and she staggered, while the other person didn’t even move.

‘I’m so sorry!’ Felicity apologized and looked up at the girl.

Her eyes widened when she saw the tall and slim redhead with a picture perfect face. Her makeup looked like it was made by a professional and she looked like she had just come out of the hair salon. Her blue eyes were narrowed at Felicity with a mean look on her face.

_Oh, boy. So much for making new friends…._

‘I wasn’t looking where I was going!’ Felicity continued.

‘Yeah, clearly.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Maybe you need a new pair of glasses.’

When she said that the other three girls with her started laughing.

Felicity never really had a problem with wearing glasses. In her opinion, they made her look cute and showed just how smart she was. Her mother had suggested getting contacts but Felicity had declined.

‘My glasses are fine.’ Felicity bit back. ‘Plus, I apologized. No need to be a bitch about it.’

‘Are you calling me a bitch?’ the girl took a step closer to her. ‘Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that?!’

‘I-’ Felicity started but the redhead interrupted her again.

‘Who are you anyway?’ she winced.

‘I-’

‘You know what? I don’t care. I’m gonna make your life a living hell if you come across my way again.’ She spat out. ‘Don’t give me an attitude, bitch, because-’

‘Oh, shut up, Helena!’ a third voice called.

Felicity turned around to see who it belonged to and saw another pretty and slim girl coming their way. She looked annoyed as she stared right into the redhead’s eyes.

‘Thea…’ the redhead, who was obviously named Helena, started. ‘Please, stay out of this. You’re not really wanted here.’

‘Wow…’ the girl named Thea nodded slowly. ‘Fucking my brother really must’ve given you a confidence boost.’

The Helena girl just shot her a fake smile. ‘I’m not just fucking him. We’re dating. I tamed him. Don’t be bitter about it, honey.’

‘Tamed him?!’ Thea started laughing and looked at Felicity. Felicity chuckled slightly, not really knowing what they were talking about. ‘Tamed him?! Do even hear yourself?’

‘Whatever, Thea. I’m so done with you.’ Helena rolled eyes and walked away, followed by her minions.

‘He’s cheating on you,’ Thea shouted in the hall after her. ‘And everyone knows it!’

Helena just snapped her head and shot Thea an angry glare, before she continued walking.

‘What a stuck up bitch…’ Thea shook her head and turned to Felicity.

‘Yeah.’ Felicity agreed. ‘Thanks for sticking up for me.’

‘I just love making her mad. She thinks that now because she’s ‘dating’ my brother the whole world is hers.’ The brunette huffed. ‘Anyway, I’m Thea.’

‘I’m Felicity. It’s nice to meet you. Well, it’s not nice how we met, but you know that’s just a saying. Not that I’m not happy to have met you, I am, I just wish it would’ve been under different circumstances. Very platonic circumstances. I’m not making a pass at you. I’m straight. Oh, God. Why am I still talking?’

Felicity could feel her cheeks burning, but when she looked up to see Thea, she was surprised to find that she had a huge grin on her face and her eyes were wide.

‘Do you always do that?’ Thea asked still keeping her smile.

‘Only every day.’ Felicity sighed. ‘It’s a curse.’

‘Are you kidding? It’s awesome.’ Thea chuckled. ‘I like you.’

‘I like you too.’ Felicity smiled back. ‘AS A FRIEND. I am not gay. Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay. Are you gay?’

‘I don’t think so.’ Thea laughed. ‘How old are you?’

’15.’

‘Really? Me too.’ The brunette smiled. ‘What classes are you in?’

‘Well, I am technically two classes up.’

‘What?’ Thea asked incredulously.

‘Yeah, I’m kind of a genius.’ Felicity shrugged.

‘So you’re gonna graduate at 17?’

‘Yep.’

‘I’m glad to have met you then.’ Thea said. ‘As a friend, don’t worry.’

It was Felicity’s time to laugh at Thea’s teasing.

‘Maybe you can help me study some time?’ Thea looked at her.

‘Yeah, sure.’ Felicity agreed.

‘I’ve been having trouble with catching up with school work. You see, I used to hang out with some losers that only lived for parties, alcohol, and drugs. They had a terrible influence on me, but thank God, my mother helped me right on time.’

‘That’s nice.’

‘Yeah’ Thea smiled. ‘Too bad she couldn’t help my brother.’

‘Helena’s boyfriend?’ Felicity asked.

‘She’s thinks they’re dating but Ollie has cheated on her with at least 3 girls. And they’ve been together for about a month.’

‘Oh, wow.’ Felicity winced. This Ollie guy sounded like douche. _Not that she was going to say that to Thea_.

‘It’s okay, Felicity,’ Thea chuckled. ‘He really is a douche.’

‘Oh, God…’ Felicity shut her eyes. ‘Did I say that out loud?’

‘Yes, you did. But it’s okay. It’s good having someone honest around here. You’re like a breath a fresh air.’

‘Thanks, I guess.’ Felicity smiled. ‘Why are you so kind to me? You barely know me!’

‘Well, I don’t really know.’ Thea answered. ‘I just feel like you’re somebody I’d like to have around in my life.’

The two girls smiled at each other, as they walked out of the building. They sat at one of the benches and started talking, sharing stories and telling jokes to each other. Just as Felicity was describing her school in Vegas, she saw Thea looking behind her shoulder with a slight grimace on her face.

‘Is everything okay?’ Felicity asked, afraid to turn around.

‘Yeah, sorry!’ Thea shook her head. ‘I’m listening to you… It’s just my stupid brother is here and Helena looks like she’s trying to eat his face.’

Felicity turned around and saw that the redhead had her arms wrapped around a tall guy’s shoulders as she was smooching him with passion.

‘Ugh… Too much tongue…’ Thea sounded like she was about to gag.

Felicity kept on staring, and when they two kissing people pulled away, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

The boy was gorgeous…

He was a masterpiece, a God’s creation.

Even from the distance she could see the blue in his eyes and his smile was almost blinding her. His hair was longer than what she usually found attractive, but he still looked great. His T-shirt was tight and she could definitely tell he worked out.

Helena was telling him something, but Felicity knew that he wasn’t paying attention, because his eyes lingered on a brunette girl behind Helena. He grinned her and while Helena looked at her phone for a second, he winked at the other girl.

He smirked and suddenly turned his head towards the benches. Felicity’s breath caught when his eyes landed on her. He quickly looked at Thea, and then shifted his gaze back on Felicity. She could see the intensity in them. She wanted to turn around, but his eyes held her captive and she just couldn’t move. She was feeling something, she didn’t even know what.

‘Felicity, you’re staring.’ Thea’s voice rang in her ears.

‘Oh, I…’ Felicity jumped slightly. ‘I just got lost in my thoughts.’

‘Of how disgusting they are?’ Thea asked.

‘Um… yes… that. Exactly that.’ Felicity muttered.

They kept on talking and after a while, Felicity managed to get Thea’s brother out of her head.

 

 

The two of them quickly became friends. They saw each other at school every day, and they got closer and closer. Thea introduced Felicity to her new friends- Barry and Curtis, and they instantly bonded. Even though Felicity made those new friends, none of them managed to top Thea. The two girls were best friends to each other one month after their meeting.

 

 

‘Felicity,’ Thea started one Friday. ‘Why don’t you come over my place tonight? We could have a sleepover and you’ll help me study. What do you say?’

‘I gotta ask mom, but knowing her, she’d probably agree.’ Felicity chuckled.

‘Great!’ Thea beamed. ‘By the way, when am I gonna meet your mom? From what you’ve told me, she sounds great!’

‘Maybe you can some sleep at my place next week.’ Felicity suggested.

‘Sure.’ Thea smiled. ‘That sounds great.’

Later that day, Felicity had her p-jays, books and toothbrush in her small backpack. Thea had sent a driver to come and pick her up, and when the car was parked in the Queen mansion, Felicity was seriously having doubts about agreeing to come over.

The ‘castle’ Thea lived in was big and beautiful and Felicity wasn’t sure whether she fitted here.

‘Hey! Why are you standing there?’

Felicity looked up and saw Thea grinning at her from one of the windows.

‘Come in!’

Felicity swallowed hard and walked in. Thea met her at the stairs and walked her around.

‘Where are your parents?’ Felicity asked, when they were finally in Thea’s room.

‘They’re on a business trip for the week.’ Thea answered. ‘You know, they’re eager to meet you.’

‘Yeah?’ Felicity asked hesitantly.

‘Yeah. They want to meet my new _smart_ friend who had finally managed to get me in a library.’ Thea rolled her eyes.

Felicity chuckled and took off her jacket. She was wearing denim shorts and a simple black tank top and her hair was down in small waves.

The girls talked a little, then took out their books and started writing their homework for Monday. Thea was really bad at math, Felicity noticed, but at least she was trying. Felicity explained different theorems to her, and easier ways to remember them.

‘Hey, can I use the bathroom?’ Felicity asked all of a sudden.

‘Sure,’ Thea smiled. ‘But mine has some problems with the water. Go to the one in the end of the hall. You can’t miss it.’

‘Okay.’

Felicity chose a math problem for Thea to solve while she was in the bathroom and left the room.

She started walking down the hall when suddenly the door next to her opened. She looked to the side and swallowed hard at the sight of _him_ …

Thea’s brother looked just as surprised to see her. His eyes widened for a second and his eyebrows raised in curiosity. He was wearing a blue Henley that matched his eyes and jeans. He looked so _fracking_ good.

When she looked up, she met his eyes again. The surprise in them was gone. He had a smirk on his face, before he licked his lips and walked out of his room.

‘You must be Felicity.’ He said.

She was still staring at him, unable to form a sentence, so she just dumbly nodded. _Nice, Felicity_ , she thought.

‘Hi!’ he grinned. ‘I’m Oliver Queen.’

‘I… I know who you are.’ She blurted and then bit her lips at her stupid remark.

‘I don’t think we’ve met before,’ he spoke, and took a step closer to her, which caused her to take one back. ‘But I remember seeing you at Thea’s school a couple of weeks ago.’

He was still slowly approaching her, and she was slowly walking back. Before she could realize it, she had taken a couple of steps down the stairs.

‘Yeah, I-I remember that too.’ She laughed uncomfortably. The boy was doing something to her and she didn’t even know what.

‘I remember thinking how beautiful you are and how much I wanted to know you. You look even prettier from up close.’ He said quietly, still with a small smile on his lips.

‘Thank you.’ She nodded.

‘You’re welcome.’

Felicity pushed her butt at the railway of the stairs.

‘What are you doing here, _Felicity_?’ he asked with a low voice as he stood mere inches away from her.

‘I… I’m helping Thea with some… things.’ She stuttered. ‘Homework! Not _things_.’

Oliver let out a small chuckle, before he took another step towards her. Felicity had nowhere to go, because soon his hands were on the railway, on the sides on her body, keeping her in place.

‘Doing homework is so boring.’ He said and Felicity could smell his cologne. _Damn, he smelled so good._ ‘There are much better things to do than that.’

Felicity’s eyes widened and when she looked at him, she saw his face coming closer to hers.

‘Whoa!’ she exclaimed and pushed her body even further into the railway, pulling her head as far as possible from him. ‘ _What_. _Are_ you doing?’

‘Felicity, if you pull away any further, you’re gonna fall.’ He grinned at her.

Felicity gasped when she felt his hand on her waist, pressing her body to his.

‘There,’ he said. ‘I got you.’

Felicity had never had too much male attention, but she was only 15, _for God’s sake_! She had her whole life ahead of her! Everything would happen when the time was right, with the _right person_. That’s why she had never been worried about not having a boyfriend. And here, _this jerk_ was trying to steal her first kiss and he thought she’d like it. He was like, 5 years older! And had a girlfriend!

‘Stop it!’ Felicity exclaimed again, trying to be quiet so that Thea doesn’t hear. ‘What do you think you’re doing? You can’t do that!’

‘You got a boyfriend?’ he asked with a low chuckle.

‘No!’ she answered. ‘But you have a girlfriend!’

He furrowed his eyebrows, looking genuinely confused.

‘Helena!’ Felicity rolled her eyes at him.

‘Oh… right!’ he looked to the side, before meeting Felicity’s eyes again. ‘Well, I’m not gonna tell her, if you don’t, too.’

With that he grinned and tried to kiss her again. Felicity pushed him away and ran up the stairs.

When she looked behind herself, she saw him chuckling. She wanted to punch the grin off of his face.

‘You’re an ass, Oliver Queen!’ she said quietly. ‘Ass!’

‘Don’t you wanna give me a little kiss, Felicity?’ he asked innocently.

‘No!’ she answered.

Truth be told, he was really attractive and she’d gladly let him kiss her, if he wasn’t such a douche.

He narrowed his eyes at her, still keeping the smile on his face.

‘One day, Felicity!’ he told her calmly. ‘One day… you’re gonna say yes!’

‘Yeah, keep on dreaming!’ she answered and walked away.

 

Later that night, Thea and Felicity went in the living room to have a snack. When they, walked in, they found Oliver lying on the couch, watching a basketball game.

‘Ollie!’ Thea furrowed her eyebrows. ‘I thought you were going out tonight!’

‘Oh, I was, but then I changed my mind.’ Oliver winked at them. ‘How’s your… homework?’

He met Felicity’s eyes and raised his eyebrows.

‘Great!’ Thea answered. ‘Felicity explained some things to me that I had always found hard! She’s the best!’

‘Is that so?’ Oliver asked, not moving his gaze from the blonde.

‘Yep… Oh, silly me!’ Thea smacked her head. ‘Oliver, this is Felicity. Felicity, this is Oliver!’

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ He said, keeping the grin on his face.

 _That jerk_ …

‘Thanks.’ Felicity blurted.

Felicity sat on one of the armchairs, while Thea sat down next to Oliver on the couch.

‘So, I was telling you about the Maroon 5 concert next month!’ Thea turned around to face Felicity, her back completely towards Oliver, who was still lying down.

‘I’m not so sure, Thea.’ Felicity said.

‘Why not? It will be so fun!’ Thea pleaded. ‘Barry even-’

Felicity couldn’t focus on Thea’s words, because her eyes accidentally landed on Oliver. When their eyes met, he grinned at her. He slowly lifted his hips from the couch. Then he lowered them, before lifting them up again.

_WHAT. THE. FUCK? Was he…? Suggesting something???_

Felicity’s eyes widened and she quickly looked back at Thea, trying to ignore him.

‘-backstage passes!’ Thea grinned at her. ‘Doesn’t that sound attempting to you?’

‘Yeah, doesn’t it sound tempting, Felicity?’ Oliver asked as well with a smirk.

‘NO!’ she exclaimed. ‘I mean… I’ll think about it. THE MAROON 5 THING! Not something else!’

Oliver just chuckled, while Thea looked confused.

‘Why are you laughing, Ollie?’ she turned around and asked.

‘Nothing, LeBron just made a funny shot.’ Oliver shrugged and sat up.

‘He’s a loser.’ Thea shook her head.

‘He’s not!’ Oliver looked at her with an annoyed look.

‘Okay, not gonna argue about that AGAIN!’ Thea rolled her eyes. ‘Felicity, I’m gonna grab some snacks from the kitchen. I’ll be back in a minute.’

‘Maybe I should come with you!’ Felicity yelled after her but it was too late. Thea had left the room.

Felicity straightened up, feeling more awkward than she ever had. She tried avoiding Oliver’s gaze, but she broke. When she looked at him, she found that he was already staring at her with a smirk on his face.

‘One day.’ He repeated his words from earlier. ‘Mark my words.’

Felicity looked at the screen, feeling more than annoyed… He was 20 and had a girlfriend, and he was making inappropriate suggestions at her. He was an idiot and he was the kind of guy she wanted as far away from her as possible. He was handsome as hell, she had to admit that, but he would never change. He was a spoiled bratty playboy, who was used to getting everything in life. _If only he wasn’t like that_ …

So she sank deeper into the chair, putting all of her focus on the game, trying to push down the part of her that wished he’d one day change.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

(Felicity- 17, Oliver- 22)

‘MY BEST FRIEND IS GRADUATING!’

Felicity chuckled. Thea and Barry had been shouting from the car for the past 15 minutes, while Curtis was driving and laughing at them. They were at a red light in the middle of the rush hour. Right next to them, was a car with 4 boys in it. Felicity blushed when she looked at one of the guys, who just grinned at her.

‘She’s only 17 and she’s graduating!’ Thea informed the boys.

‘Thea!’ Felicity tilted her head.

‘What?’ Thea chuckled at her and then turned to the other car again. ‘She’s a genius, boys! If anyone is interested her number is 1-772-’

‘THEA!’ Felicity interrupted her with a furious blush on her cheeks.

‘Please, go on!’ One of the boys spoke. ‘I’m interested.’

‘Shut up, Derek’ another boy laughed. ‘I saw her first!’

‘Felicity!’ Thea shook the blonde’s shoulders. ‘They’re gonna fight over you!’

‘No one’s gonna fight over me, Thea!’ Felicity rolled her eyes.

Just as Thea was about to tell something to the guys, the light was green and Curtis started driving.

‘Curtis!’ Thea exclaimed. ‘What are you doing? I was just gonna find a boyfriend for Felicity!’

‘Well, I’m sorry, but we’re in a hurry!’ Curtis argued. ‘And the guy behind me was beeping!’

‘Plus, Felicity doesn’t need your help with that!’ Barry defended Curtis. ‘She’s gonna kiss Cooper tonight!’

‘WHAT?’ Curtis asked. ‘Why didn’t I know???’

‘I’m not sure it’s gonna happen!’ Felicity said shyly. ‘I hope he comes tonight. And if he does, he better make the first step, because I know I’m too scared to kiss him first.’

‘My little girl will have her first kiss tonight!’ Thea squeaked.

‘I hope! Again, I’m not sure.’ Felicity reminded them.

‘Anyway…’ Barry started. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Well,’ Felicity looked to the side as they were passing different buildings. ‘I’m nervous. You know I’m not the party type, but… Thank you for organizing it! I’m sure I’m gonna have a lot of fun!’

‘I know you don’t like parties, Felicity,’ Thea started. ‘But you deserve one! You’re graduating, you’re going to MIT, and you’ve made all of us proud. Your mother is over the moon!’

‘Thanks, Thea!’ Felicity smiled. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you, too.’ Thea hugged her. ‘And if Cooper doesn’t come, some other guy might get lucky too!’

‘I don’t want ‘some other guy’, Thea.’ Felicity laughed. ‘I want someone who I know I will remember with good no matter what.’

When they arrived at the Queen mansion, the sun was down and the party had already started. Felicity recognized people from school, but she didn’t know most of the others. Her eyes started looking for Cooper, but she couldn’t find him. Suddenly, her gaze fell on somebody’s muscular shoulders. She could recognize that person anywhere. He was talking to his best friend, Tommy Merlyn, and a group of 5 more boys. Judging by their reaction, whatever he was telling, was really funny because the guys were laughing like crazy.   

‘HEY EVERYBODY’ Thea yelled. ‘WE’RE HERE!’

He turned around and when he saw her, a smile spread on his lips. His blue eyes shined brightly, and she almost looked away.

Felicity had known Oliver for two years now and he’d been making passes at her all the time, but she’d learned how to ignore them. When he wasn’t being a jerk, he was actually a really nice guy. Felicity loved how much he cared for Thea, his parents and his friends _. For some reason, he seemed to care about her as well._ Yes, he was still flirting with her every time they saw each other, but when he knew she wasn’t in the mood or that something had happened to her, he had always been there to give her his silent support through a hug, or a shoulder squeeze.

‘I WANT A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THIS LITTLE GENIUS NEXT TO ME!’ Thea kept on shouting.

People started clapping their hands, and shouting her name. Felicity shifted her weight from foot to foot, smiling nervously. She looked at Barry, Curtis and Thea who were grinning at her, and her smile became genuine.

All of a sudden, she found herself trapped in someone’s muscular arms, and pressed to their defined pecs and abs. She didn’t even have to look, to know who it was. Her hands, wrapped around him as well.

‘Happy graduation!’ Oliver said softly in her ear, squeezing her tighter.

‘Thanks.’ She answered.

‘I’m here if you need a quick fucking before you go to college!’ he pulled away and winked.

‘Still not interested.’ She rolled her eyes.

‘One could hope.’ He grinned at her.

Different people started coming up to Felicity congratulating her. Then the party went on, with people dancing, drinking, eating and playing different games. After dancing to a couple of songs, Felicity went to the table to have a slice of a pizza.

‘Hey.’ A voice startled her.

Felicity turned around quickly and put a huge smile on her face when she saw the boy she’d been waiting for the whole night.

‘Cooper, hi!’ she hugged him. ‘You’re here!’

‘Wouldn’t miss your graduation party for the world!’ he answered. ‘And congrats on MIT.’

‘I’ll see you there next year.’ She winked at him.

‘I hope so.’ He chuckled.

They stood close to each other, his face inches away from hers.

Felicity had read in some chick magazines that if you look at a guy’s lips that will show them that the girl wants to kiss them. So, she looked down at Cooper’s mouth, keeping her gaze there, so that he realizes what she wanted.

‘Do I have something on my mouth?’ Cooper asked and started wiping his lips.

‘Umm…’ Felicity blinked rapidly. ‘No, you’re fine.’

‘Oh, okay.’ He grinned at her. ‘What were you looking at then?’

‘No-nothing, I…’ Felicity shook her head. ‘I just remembered I had to talk to someone. I’ll… I’ll see you around, yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ Cooper smiled at her.

Felicity gave him a tight smile and started walking around the house, looking for Thea. She needed advice on how to get him to kiss her. And she needed it fast, before Cooper left, or got drunk.

‘Barry, Curtis!’ she yelled when she spotted her friends. ‘Where’s Thea?’

‘She’s upstairs with Alex.’ Curtis grinned.

Felicity let out a big sigh. Thea had been crushing on Alex for a couple of weeks now, and Felicity was happy for her friend, but she really needed her right now.

‘What’s wrong?’ Barry asked.

‘How do I get Cooper to kiss me?’ Felicity asked.

‘You can’t make him if he doesn’t want to.’ Barry joked but when Felicity frowned, he cleared his throat. ‘Sorry, just kidding. Well, I can’t help you, I’m sorry. I’ve never kissed a girl before, too.’

‘Don’t look at me!’ Curtis said when Felicity’s eyes met his. ‘I don’t know much about straight boys.’

‘Ugh…’ Felicity groaned. ‘This is a disaster…’

With those words she left the house. She went to the backyard and sat by the pool. She put her feet in the water and looked up before closing her eyes.

What was wrong with her? Had she imagined that Cooper liked her as well? He was _this_ close, and he didn’t kiss her, what did that mean? In that moment, Felicity felt like a sad excuse for a girl. She was short and her blond hair had a mind of its’ own. She was awkward and way too smart… She would die alone with 3 cats. How could someone EVER like her, when there were women out there like Adriana Lima, or Nicole Scherzinger, or Taylor Swift that were total bombshells?   

‘What is a nice girl like you doing in a dirty mind like mine?’

Felicity chuckled when she heard Oliver’s voice. She turned around and saw him slowly coming closer to her.

‘Don’t you ever give up?’ she asked with a grin on her face.

‘My momma told me to chase my dreams.’ He smirked and sat down next to her.

‘And your dream is to have sex with me?’ she raised her eyebrows.

‘Along with other things.’ He grinned. ‘I think you’re very, VERY attractive.’

‘Yeah, well, that makes one.’ She smiled sadly and looked down.

‘What are you talking about?’ he furrowed his eyebrows.

‘My crush is here.’ Felicity told him. ‘I wanted him to kiss me but he didn’t do it.’

‘What? The guy with the striped shirt?’ Oliver asked and Felicity just nodded. ‘He’s such a pussy.’

‘Don’t be mean!’ Felicity said. ‘It’s okay, I can wait till he’s ready.’

Oliver rolled his eyes. ‘Why him?’

‘Cause I like him and I want to date him.’

‘Well, you can kiss other people in the meantime.’ He wiggled his eyebrows.

‘My first kiss has to be special, Oliver.’ She explained. ‘It has to be with someone I like. Someone funny, handsome, someone who understands me… Someone who’s gonna be in my life for a long, long time and makes me hap-’

Her words were lost, as Oliver slanted his mouth over hers. Felicity couldn’t think straight as she felt his lips moving gently against hers and his hands holding her head. Before she could realize what she was doing, she was returning his kiss. His lips were soft and nice, like little pillow mountains. She felt his tongue opening her mouth and it was weird at first, but then his tongue licked hers and she almost saw stars.

Suddenly, she remembered where she was and who she was kissing.

 _Oliver_ …

Not Cooper.

She pulled away way too quickly, and her sudden movement caused her to lose her balance. She fell in the pool dragging Oliver along with her.

Felicity wanted to stay in the water forever, feeling like she was gonna die from embarrassment and anger. _How could he?_ How could he steal her first kiss like that? She was just telling him she wanted Cooper…

She came out to the surface and saw Oliver, who just smiled at her.

 _How typical of him_ … He was a selfish bastard that only cared about himself.

‘I have an idea.’ She said angrily waving her hands around to keep herself on the surface.

‘What?’ he grinned and swam closer to her.

‘You go under the water and hold your breath,’ she moved away from him and tried to get out. ‘And I will count to one million.’

She tried to push herself out of the pool, but failed. Suddenly, she felt Oliver’s hands grabbing her waist and pushing her up. She got out and looked at him. He still had a smirk on his face and it only made her angrier.

‘I hate you, Oliver Queen!’ she exclaimed.

‘Why?’ he asked innocently and pushed himself up as well. ‘You looked like you enjoyed it.’

‘You cocky asshole!’ Felicity yelled at him, making him chuckle. ‘You stole my first kiss! I hate you!’

‘Felicity, you’re 17, you should’ve had your first kiss a long time ago.’ He said. ‘I just helped you!’

‘You did not help me!’ she said angrily. ‘Fuck off, Oliver. I don’t want to talk to you right now.’

She walked in the house, followed by Oliver, both of them soaking wet. When she saw Barry’s confused expression, she just shook her head, telling him they’d talk later.

‘Felicity!’

She turned to the side and saw Cooper coming to her.

‘There you are.’ He smiled at her. ‘I’ve been looking for you.’

Felicity sent an angry glare at Oliver, who was currently sending angry glares at Cooper.

_What the hell was his problem?_

‘You snooze, you lose, buddy.’ Oliver then grinned at Cooper and patted his shoulder, before turning to Felicity. ‘See you around, Felicity.’

He gave her a wink and walked away. _That jerk_.

‘What did that mean?’ Cooper furrowed his eyebrows.

‘Nothing.’ Felicity muttered. ‘Don’t pay attention to him.’

‘Are you alright?’ Cooper asked her. ‘You’re really flushed.’

‘Oh…’ she shrugged. ‘I’m fine, don’t worry.’

‘Why were guys both wet?’ Cooper asked again.

‘I fell in the pool and he helped me out.’ Felicity lied. ‘Can we not talk about him? He’s a jerk.’

‘Okay. If that’s what you want.’

Cooper started talking about some new codes he’d seen on the internet and Felicity tried to listen to him. That was before she turned around and met Oliver’s gaze. He saw her looking and smirked at her. _One day_ , he mouthed to her.

She turned her back on him and focused on Cooper. At least she tried. Not too successfully, though.

Because all she could think about was the feeling of having Oliver’s lips on hers.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

(Felicity- 19, Oliver- 24)

Felicity had just gotten back from MIT for the spring break, when Thea called her to come over. Since Donna was still working and Felicity wouldn’t see her till at least 9 pm, she didn’t have anything better to do than to listen to Thea.

When the girls met they started hugging and kissing each other’s cheeks, laughing and yelling (the last thing was more from Thea’s side.)

Thea had decided to take a gap year and had started working in some fashion studio to gain some experience, before going to college. She had decided to study fashion design and Felicity couldn’t be more proud of her.

Meanwhile, Barry and Curtis were also studying, everyone doing their own thing.

Luckily, for Felicity, Cooper had started studying in MIT, and they had FINALLY gotten together. This was Felicity’s second year in MIT, and during her stay, she’d made some drastic changed to herself. Like dying her hair black and ditching her glasses.

‘Well,’ Thea winced when she brushed her fingers through Felicity’s hair. ‘It could’ve been way worse. And what are you wearing? Why are you all black?! It’s almost summer!’

‘What do you mean?’ Felicity asked. ‘I think it looks awesome!’

‘Yeah, let’s not forget I’m the one who’s into fashion.’ Thea reminded her. ‘This… is not really fashionable.’

‘Oh, whatever!’ Felicity rolled her eyes.

‘Why’d you dye your hair?’ Thea asked again. ‘You always loved your hair color!’

‘Well, I don’t know. I wanted a change, I guess.’ Felicity shrugged. ‘Plus, Cooper once mentioned he liked dark-haired girls.’

‘Felicity!’ Thea exclaimed. ‘Don’t tell me you did it for him!’

‘I didn’t, I-’

Suddenly, Thea’s phone rang, stopping Felicity mid-sentence.

‘Ugh.’ Thea grunted. ‘It’s from work. Hold that thought!’ she said and pointed at Felicity.

She picked it up and left Felicity alone in the living room. Felicity had known the Queen family long enough and they always told her to make herself at home. So she just sat on the couch and turned the TV on.

She couldn’t find anything interesting, so she just switched channels. Just as she turned the TV off, a door opened and when Felicity turned around, she saw Oliver looking more than surprised to see her.

_Damn him…_

He was still handsome as ever. _And that smirk_ …

‘Hey, Felicity.’ He greeted her and took a couple of steps closer.

‘Hi, Oliver.’

‘What’s with the new look?’ he narrowed his eyes.

‘What, you don’t like me anymore?’ she raised her eyebrow and smiled devilishly.

After that night of her graduation, she had managed to forgive him and things were back to normal. She didn’t find it in her to hold a grudge for him. After all, if she had to be honest with herself, she had _actually_ enjoyed that brief moment of intimacy they’d shared.

‘I never said that.’ He grinned. ‘By the way, congrats on losing your virginity.’

‘Thanks, I-’ Felicity started talking automatically, but then she froze.

_What. The. Hell?_

How had he found out? Could it be…? Thea…

Felicity felt her cheeks burning as her embarrassment became bigger and bigger. And the idiot was still looking at her with his cocky smirk.

‘How did you know?’ she asked, trying to calm herself down.

‘A little birdie told me.’ He winked.

‘OH MY GOD!!’ Felicity yelled in frustration. ‘Did Thea… I will-’

‘Don’t worry,’ Oliver rolled his eyes. ‘She didn’t. I might have overheard her talking on her phone with you. It was… 2nd of March, I believe.’

‘You jerk!’ Felicity slapped his arm, as he started laughing.

She wanted to kill him. Before she decided to do that, she got up and started walking towards Thea’s room. Unfortunately, _Oliver being Oliver_ , didn’t leave it and decided to go after her.

‘Did you enjoy it?’ he asked.

‘Shut up!’

‘Was it with that Cooper idiot from high school?’

‘Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s my boyfriend now!’ Felicity spoke. ‘So watch your mouth!’

‘What are you gonna do if I talk shit about him?’ he kept on grinning.

‘You’re 24! When will you _finally_ grow up?’ Felicity asked him angrily, and stopped in the middle of the stairs.

‘When you _finally_ give in and sleep with me!’ he answered with a wide smile on his face.

‘Unbelievable!’ she shook her head. ‘You haven’t changed from the first day I met you!’

‘I told you, Felicity.’ He started walking after her again. ‘One day!’

‘Yeah, that’s NOT gonna happen if I keep hating you.’

‘You don’t hate me!’

‘Oh, yes I do!’ she answered angrily, while he was still grinning widely. ‘And I hate your stupid hair!’

Suddenly Oliver’s grin fell, and turned into a frown. Felicity was surprised when she realized she’d definitely offended him.

‘What’s wrong with my hair?’ he asked with a pout.

If Felicity thought he looked cute like that, she was quick to clear her head from those traitorous thoughts.

‘Yes, Oliver, your hair is terrible!’ she bit back. ‘It’s way too long and no matter how often you condition it, it still looks like you’ve got a broom on your head!’

Oliver’s jaw dropped. He started stuttering, but couldn’t form a single sentence. Taking this as her victory, Felicity just smiled at him and walked into Thea’s room, not sparing another glance in Oliver’s direction.

When Thea got back, the girls talked, laughed and watched movies.

 

The next day, when Felicity came to pick Thea up for their spa session, she was stunned to see Oliver with a new haircut. His hair was short and slightly messy, _but in a good way_.

He looked even better than he did before. When he saw her, he winked at her, before getting into his own car and setting off, not saying a single word to her.

All Felicity could do was stare after his car, and curse herself for causing this. Because if she was having a hard time saying no to him before, she had a terrible feeling that _one day_ she’d give in, indeed.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

(Present day: Felicity- 21, Oliver- 26)

Felicity smiled as she walked in Queen Consolidated.

‘Good morning, Simon!’ she greeted one of the security guys.

‘Good morning, Miss Smoak!’ the man smiled brightly at her. ‘Happy 6 month anniversary to us!’

Felicity knew he’s had a crush on her for a while but she didn’t really feel the same for him. Sure, he was attractive and well-built and he was kind of funny but there was something missing. She furrowed her brows in confusion. ‘What anniversary?’

‘You started working here 6 months ago and it’s been 6 months since we met!’ he guy answered.

‘Oh!’ Felicity giggled. ‘Of course! 6 months, wow…’

‘Here’s to many more.’ He handed her a cup of coffee then.

‘Oh, Simon, that’s so sweet, thank you!’ she smiled awkwardly.

She didn’t want him to get his hopes high, but it was coffee and she didn’t have time for one this morning so she decided to accept it.

‘Well, I gotta go.’ She pursed her lips nervously. ‘I have some documents to go through and I have to call my mom to tell her about this bird that got into my apartment last night. Don’t worry, it’s gone! Turns out I’m an excellent bird whisperer, I shoo-d it away. Anyway, you didn’t need to know that! Moira will visit me any time now, and-’

‘She’s in your office already.’ Simon told her.

‘Really?’ Felicity winced. ‘Okay, well, I really gotta go then.’

‘Okay, I’ll see you later!’ Simon said and Felicity noticed the hope in his eyes. ‘Maybe I could come over during lunch time.’

‘Mmmhmm.’ was all Felicity could say before she headed to her office.

The second she walked in, she was greeted by the sight of around 10 muscular men moving her stuff around. Some of the guys were carrying her desk out, others were sorting her things in boxes, while two of them were by her computers and were about to unplug them from their cables.

‘Excuse me!’ Felicity ran to them. ‘What the hell is going on?’

‘We’re moving Felicia Smoak’s stuff.’ One of the guys answered.

‘Yeah,’ Felicity blinked at him. ‘I’m _Felicia_. Where are you taking my things?’

‘The 18th floor.’

‘What?’ she asked in confusion. ‘Why?’

‘Felicity, dear!’

Felicity turned around and saw Moira Queen standing in front of her in all her glory. Her makeup was stunning as usual and her hair was in perfect curls. Her slim figure walked towards Felicity, and the older woman embraced Felicity in a tight hug.

‘Hi, Moira!’ Felicity patted her back, before pulling away. ‘What’s going on here?’

‘Oh, right.’ Moira chuckled slightly. ‘You’re being moved to the 18th floor.’

‘Why?’

‘The _CEO_ asked.’ Moira answered before turning her attention to the men. ‘Put that thing down, young man, before I call security!’ she said in a threatening tone. ‘Next time you try to steal, it better not be in front of me!’

‘Moira,’ Felicity shook her head. ‘Why does Oliver want me on his floor?’

‘Well, I’m not quite sure, you gotta ask him that.’ Moira said and handed Felicity a box with some of her things.

Moira started pushing Felicity towards the elevator.

‘I don’t understand!’ Felicity continued.

‘Look, Felicity, ever since you’ve started working here there’s been great progress in the company! Oliver told Robert and I about some of your projects and how helpful you’ve been to him.’ Moira answered. ‘So, if you’re the reason he works better now then you need to be around him more.’

‘Did you arrange it?’ Felicity raised one of her eyebrows.

‘I _might_ have suggested it,’ Moira confessed. ‘And Oliver agreed.’

‘I… he’s… my stuff…’

‘I’ll take care of your things.’ The older woman promised. ‘Now go upstairs and talk to Oliver.’

Just as she said this the elevator doors opened and Felicity was pushed inside. Before she could say anything Moira was gone.

‘Ugh.’ Felicity sighed. ‘I’m so screwed.’

When the doors opened again on the 18th floor, she took a deep breath and started walking towards Oliver. She saw her desk in front of his office and when she looked through the glass doors, she saw him sitting by his computer, looking really interested in whatever he was reading.

He was wearing a grey suit and his hair was slightly messy. His jaw was covered in slight scruff and Felicity wondered what had happened to the boy she’d first met all those years ago. In that moment, she actually missed him, because he was easier to say no to. This Oliver, however, was much, _MUCH_ harder to resist.

He was still slightly immature- he still slept around and made silly comments, but Felicity was a woman and no one woman could say no to Oliver Queen.

She sighed and knocked on his door.

She saw him looking up. His eyes met hers, before going lower, taking in the way she looked that morning. When his eyes went up to hers again, they held a spark she knew all too well. A familiar spark that made her stomach clench and caused heat to travel through her whole body. His lips slowly lifted upwards and she saw him give her his usual ‘ _Oliver Queen smirk_ ’.

He got up on his feet and motioned her to come in.

Felicity sighed.

_It was going to be a long day…_

 


	2. Chapter 1- Say no to this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity has a shitty day at work. Oliver has a solution for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Sorry it took me so long to update, but I had the shittiest week in my life. I didn't really have the time, nor desire to write. But it's here.   
> This story isn't beta-d, all mistakes are mine.   
> This AMAZING poster was made by the lovely Victoria. You can find her on twitter: victori96572376 <3  
> Anyway, here's the first official chapter!  
> Happy reading!

 

Felicity opened the door and walked in Oliver’s office.

‘Good morning, Felicity.’ He smirked at her.

‘Good morning, Oliver.’ She gave him a fake smile.

‘What a beautiful morning.’ Oliver looked out the window.

Felicity rolled her eyes, because she was expecting him to use one of his dumb pickup lines. She didn’t want to give him a chance to say anything that would annoy her even more this morning, so she decided to stay quiet till he brought up the important subject, a.k.a the reason she was being moved on this floor.

When she didn’t say a word, Oliver turned around to look at her and smiled.

‘You know,’ he continued. ‘I just googled ‘sexy’ and your picture came up.’

 _Here he goes again_ , Felicity thought as she sighed.

‘Aha,’ she started. ‘You’re gonna get the same result if you search for ‘not interested’.’

Oliver threw his head back laughing and when he looked at her again, he just shook his head.

‘You always have a response, don’t you?’ he grinned.

‘I don’t have the answers to everything, Oliver.’ She admitted. ‘For example, I don’t know why I’m being moved here.’

‘Oh, right!’ he clapped his hands and sat on his chair. ‘Please, take a seat.’

‘I’m good here. Thank you!’ she still stood by the door.

‘Fe-li-ci-ty…’

She pursed her lips and closed her eyes for a brief second before sitting in the chair in front of him.

‘So,’ he started. ‘I called you here this morn-’

‘You didn’t call me.’ Felicity corrected.

‘Excuse me?’

‘You mother told me to come.’ She said in a neutral tone.

‘So you saw her this morning?’ Oliver asked and winced. ‘Did you see that hideous cardigan she was wearing? I swear, if I see it lying somewhere around the mansion unprotected, I’ll burn it and-’

‘Oliver!’ Felicity exclaimed.

‘Right, sorry.’ He grinned. ‘What did you want to talk about?’

‘Are you serious?’ Felicity asked incredulously. ‘Oliver, why did you want me to move here?’

‘Yes!’ Oliver nodded. ‘I have a job offer for you.’

‘What is it?’ she asked suspiciously. ‘If you’re gonna ask me to do something inappropriate, I swear to God, I’ll-’

‘Don’t worry.’ Oliver rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t mix business and pleasure… most of the time.’

He winked at her and she sighed. ‘So what is it then?’

‘I want to promote you to head of the IT Department.’ He stated.

‘What???’ she asked.

‘You heard me.’ He smirked.

‘I… did but… Where did that come from?’ she blinked rapidly.

‘Well, you’re one of our most hard working people in the department, you stay late and do most of the work anyway.’ He simply said.

‘But… What about Elliot?’ she asked. ‘Elliot has been here for 7 years and works a lot too.’

‘It doesn’t matter who’s been here the longest, Felicity.’ He looked at her with a straight face.

‘Oliver, I really appreciate this, but…’ Felicity winced but Oliver interrupted her.

‘Felicity, everyone in IT knows that you’re talented and hard-working. You deserve this more than anyone else there.’

‘Okay…?’ she still sounded like she wasn’t completely convinced. ‘And why did I have to be up here? I could do the same from the first floor.’

‘Well, I need to be in constant touch with you, especially with all these new projects of yours and I can’t very well travel down 18 floors every time you and I need to discuss them.’     

‘Aha.’ Felicity pursed her lips.

‘Plus, I like having you around.’ He winked at her. ‘Especially, when you wear skirts like that.’

Felicity’s jaw fell. _So that’s what it was about_. Another desperate attempt to get her to sleep with him.

‘Excuse me?’ she asked with a low tone.

‘You can get two coffees from now on when you come to work.’ He added. ‘I like it black, sugar and a half, and a little bit of cream.’

‘I… will NOT bring YOU COFFEE!’ Felicity raised her voice.

‘Wh-’

‘I’m NOT YOUR SECRETARY!’ she yelled as she stood up. ‘You’re such an asshole, Oliver!’

‘I’m also the CEO, so you better watch your mouth.’ He raised an eyebrow.

‘Oh, cut the crap!’ she waved her hand. ‘Did you move me here so that you could keep harassing me? Does that promotion mean I have to fuck with you? Because then I’d gladly give my place to Elliot.’

‘No!’ Oliver exclaimed and then smiled. ‘Unless you want to.’

‘God, you’re unbelievable!’ Felicity shook her head and headed for the door. ‘I-I can’t believe this…’

‘Okay, I’m sorry!’ Oliver ran quickly and got between her and the door. ‘I was just kidding. You don’t have to bring me coffee… or have sex with me.’

‘You know what?’ Felicity looked at him angrily. ‘I think I’ll pass on that promotion offer.’

‘What?’ Oliver yelled. ‘Why?’

‘A young blonde girl works in a company for 6 months and suddenly gets promoted. On top of that, she get moved next to the CEO’s office.’ Felicity narrowed her eyes. ‘How does that look?’

‘I understand people will talk.’ Oliver grinned. ‘We might as well give them a reason to.’

‘When was the last time you got laid, Oliver?’ Felicity asked. ‘You sound way too desperate!’

‘I got laid two days ago actually.’ Oliver smirked. ‘But I made you a promise, didn’t I?’

‘Fuck off, Oliver!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘That’s NEVER going to happen! Even if we were the last two people on Earth and the human race depended on it.’

‘Ouch.’

‘Yeah. And I-’

‘Hello, children!’

Felicity looked behind Oliver towards the door and saw Moira Queen walking into the office, followed by the same men that were moving her things.

‘Are we interrupting something?’ Moira asked with a smile.

Just then Felicity realized how close she and Oliver stood to each other, their bodies almost pressing.

‘No, of course not!’ she exclaimed and took a few steps away from him. ‘We were just… talking.’

Felicity saw some of the guys exchange looks and one of them rolled their eyes. _Great, the rumors were going to start sooner than she expected_.

‘Felicity doesn’t want to take the promotion.’ Oliver turned to his mother.

‘But why?’ Moira looked between the two of them.

‘Ask her.’ Oliver’s eyes met Felicity’s.

‘I…well,’ she stuttered. ‘I don’t know if I’m the best choice.’

‘What do you mean?’ Moira furrowed her brows.

‘Some people have been here longer than me.’ Felicity bit her lip. ‘And almost everyone knows I’m best friends with Thea and that I know the whole family and-’

‘Felicity…’ Moira shook her head. ‘You’re the only one in IT whose projects were all approved. You got some strong investors to give us financial support. I mean… Ray Palmer-’

Oliver huffed, which caused both women to look at him.

‘I never liked that guy.’ Oliver shrugged.

‘Why?’ Moira asked.

‘Cause he was trying to hit on Felicity! At work! How unprofessional!’ Oliver said, which made Felicity roll her eyes. _Like he wasn’t doing the same._ ‘He didn’t invest because he liked the project, he invested because he liked Felicity…’

‘Anyway…’ Moira spoke again. ‘Felicity, you’re getting promoted whether you like it or not.’

‘I-’

‘Now I’m going to tell these boys how to arrange your things on your desk.’ Moira looked at her. ‘Barry is in your old office by the way. Said he needed to give you some books.’

And with those words, Moira and the men walked out and Felicity saw them all going to her desk. They started placing her computers and things, while Moira bossed them around.

‘You heard her.’ Oliver grinned at Felicity.

‘Yeah… Sadly, I can’t say no to your mom.’ Felicity sighed and headed out.

‘Hey, Felicity!’ Oliver’s voice stopped her. ‘Are you Jamaican? Cause Jamaican me crazy.’

She turned around with a disgusted face and saw him grinning widely at her.

‘No, I’m Finnish.’ Felicity answered and Oliver furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. ‘Finnish with this conversation.’

And with those words Felicity left his office, leaving a stunned Oliver behind.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

When Felicity got to the first floor, she saw Barry’s back as he was awkwardly standing by her door. He was looking at the fish tank and was knocking on it, causing the fish in it to swim faster and more chaotic.

‘Hi, Barry!’ Felicity smiled at her friend.

‘Hey, Felicity!’ he grinned back at her and gave her a hug. ‘How are you?’

‘Annoyed.’ Felicity huffed.

‘Already?’ Barry asked incredulously. ‘It’s only 10 a.m.’

‘Yeah, try working for Oliver Queen.’ Felicity muttered.

‘What did he do again?’ Barry chuckled.

‘The usual.’

‘Could you be more specific?’ Barry sighed.

‘He moved me next to his office, Barry.’ Felicity used her loud voice. ‘He promoted me to head of IT and moved me closer to him because he, I quote, ‘liked having me around’. What an ass!’

‘Felicity, congratulations!’ Barry exclaimed and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

‘Ugh, Barry, for what?’ Felicity wiggled out of his embrace.

‘For being promoted!’ Barry answered.

‘I was only promoted because he wants me next to him.’ Felicity rubbed her eyes.

‘Felicity, you know your own qualifications, Oliver knows them too.’

‘Yeah, all he sees is how short my skirts are.’ Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t understand why he’s acting like this. It’s not like he lacks female attention, he goes out every other night and he sleeps around. Why is he still chasing me after all these years?’

‘Maybe he really likes you.’

The second the words left Barry’s mouth Felicity’s head shot up and she gave Barry an incredulous look. Barry then grinned and started laughing, clearly realizing what a dumb thing he’d said.

‘Yeah, okay, I might have gone too far with that one.’ He said, as he continued laughing. ‘Oliver Queen having feelings is like Curtis having a girlfriend.’

‘Yes, Barry.’ Felicity’s head dropped. ‘Help me!’

‘How can I? He seems pretty persistent.’ Barry said with a disgusted look on his face. ‘I can’t sleep with him for you. Even if I could, I wouldn’t… I’m sorry, Felicity, but there are some things that I just wouldn’t do.’

‘HELP ME!’ Felicity grabbed Barry by the collar.

‘I don’t know how!’ Barry took her hands in his before she tore his shirt. ‘Geez, calm down… I thought you got used to it.’

‘I _AM_ used to it,’ Felicity whined. ‘That doesn’t mean I enjoy it… Help me, Barry. How do I get rid of him once and for all?’

‘Well, maybe you should just sleep with him and get it over with.’

Felicity froze when she heard the third voice, and felt the color leave her face. She gulped before turning around to look at the person who’d just spoken.

‘Thea!’ Felicity gave her an awkward smile. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi, guys.’ Thea grinned.

‘What are you doing here?’ Barry asked.

‘I stopped by to bring my mother home.’ Thea lied on Felicity’s old couch. ‘And while I was here, I decided to stop by my best friend’s office.’

‘That’s very sweet… Thea.’ Felicity smiled.

‘So what? Is my brother still trying to get into your pants?’

Felicity had always tried to avoid having this conversation with Thea because it was way too awkward to talk about this situation with her. After all, Oliver was her brother. It can’t be easy to listen about his idiotic actions. Not to mention, that he sometimes brought different girls in the mansion, and Thea had to shoo them away in the morning, since Oliver was too much of a coward to do that himself.

No matter how hard Felicity tried not to talk about it, Oliver would _always_ make a comment not caring that Thea or anybody else was there. Before Felicity turned 18, he had been subtle, but once she was ‘legal’ he started making different remarks in front of other people as well, so soon everyone knew about his little attempts at trying to get her in bed.

‘Has he ever stopped?’ Barry muttered, earning an angry glare from Felicity. ‘What?’

‘Is he, Felicity?’ Thea asked again.

‘I… You see…’ Felicity bit her lip before answering. ‘Kinda, I guess.’

‘Look,’ Thea sat up. ‘I have a suggestion and you’re not gonna like it.’

‘Honestly, I’m so desperate that I’d do anything.’ Felicity sank into the couch next to Thea.

‘You gotta sleep with him, Felicity.’ Thea told her best friend.

_Say WHAT?!?!?!_

Felicity’s head snapped in Thea’s direction with a WTF-look on her face. ‘Excuse me?’ she asked in a loud voice. ‘What part of ‘I don’t want to sleep with him’ did you not understand?’

‘Felicity,’ Thea started. ‘Just listen to me-’

‘So in order for me to not sleep with him, you say I need to sleep with him. Did I understand correctly?’ Felicity asked sarcastically.

‘Listen!’ Thea grabbed her shoulders.

Felicity sighed and looked at Thea straight in her blue eyes.

‘Ollie doesn’t like sleeping with the same girls.’ Thea said. ‘He likes… variety.’

‘Yeah, this _variety_ ,’ Felicity interrupted her ‘might lead to STDs. And _no, gracias_. I don’t need that.’

‘He checks himself.’ Thea said and when her friends looked at her with raised eyebrows, she shrugged. ‘What? I’m his younger sister, I still like going through his things.’

‘Thea, his medical journals are a bit _TOO_ personal, don’t you think?’ Barry winced.

‘Oh, whatever.’ Thea waved her hand dismissively. ‘What I’m trying to say is once he sleeps with you, he’ll never want to do it again.’

‘Can he stop wanting it without sleeping with me?’ Felicity whined. ‘I still don’t understand. Why does he want to sleep with me when he has all these other women? It’s not like he’s dry.’

‘No, he’s not. _BUT_ you’re probably the only woman to say no to him.’ Thea started explaining. ‘You see, this thing, it’s like a challenge for him. He thinks that he could have any woman, and here you are, turning him down all the time. That way you make him want to sleep with you even more.’

‘That’s dumb.’ Felicity winced.

‘Yeah, you know he’s never been too clever.’ Thea sighed.

‘So once Felicity sleeps with Oliver, he’ll leave her alone?’ Barry asked. ‘Are you sure?’

‘100 % sure.’ Thea nodded. ‘It will be ‘Mission accomplished, onto the next one’ for him.’

‘I don’t like this.’ Felicity winced.

‘Just once, Felicity.’ Thea looked at her. ‘It’s better to get it over with once and for all than to put up with him for the rest of your life.’

‘Rest of my life?’ Felicity swallowed hard.

‘Mhm.’ Thea pursed her lips. ‘Rest. Of. Your life.’

_Rest of your life…_

_Rest of your life…_

Felicity looked out the window seeing her future in front of her.

She imagined being in the chapel, with her future husband- Mr. Ryan Reynolds, holding hands and exchanging vows in front of their smiling families and friends. Suddenly Oliver stands up on his feet, walks up to them and tells her: ‘Have sex with me.’

She imagined taking her son Ryan Reynolds Junior to school, and all of a sudden Oliver jumps out from one of the bushes, holding a sign: ‘Have sex with me.’

She imagined sitting on her porch knitting a sweater for her grandson Ryan Reynolds the Third, her white hair falling in her face. When she lifts up her face to fix the messy hairs, she sees Oliver in his wheelchair giving her a toothless smile and saying with a lisp: ‘Haph ssex phiph me.’

_Rest of your life…_

‘Felicity!’ Thea’s voice pulled her out of her musing.

‘What? What?’ Felicity jumped.

‘You spaced out.’ Thea narrowed her eyes.

‘Who? Me? No. I just looked at that building across the street and realized how much I love the color gray. It’s a great color, right? Remember when I used to wear all black cause I was going through that weird Goth phase? Now I like my style much better, bright colors suit me and-’

‘Felicity.’ Barry interrupted her.

‘Right, sorry.’ She shook her head and stood up. ‘Anyway, thanks for stopping by, both of you, but I gotta get to work.’

‘What are you gonna do about Ollie?’ Thea asked.

‘Thank you for your suggestion, Thea, but I don’t think I can do it.’ Felicity smiled at her friend.

‘Why not?’ Thea stood up. ‘Don’t you find him at least slightly attractive? Most of the female population do. The rest that don’t are his family and some lesbians.’

Felicity had to chuckle at that. Of course she found him attractive, she had to be blind not to. He was gorgeous, Greek God-gorgeous, and she had to admit she had had a couple of fantasies about him in the past because… _who wouldn’t_? She loved how broad his shoulders are and she had imagined leaving lipstick stains on his neck and jaw and lips… From time to time, she wanted to wrap her legs around him and feel him fill her completely. She knew that he was considered a Sex God, so he probably had a couple of tricks up his sleeve, but-

‘It’s not that I don’t find him attractive, Thea.’ Felicity smiled. ‘It’s just… I don’t do that… One night stands. They’re not for me. When I do _it_ , I like it when I’m with someone I trust, someone I like and someone I could _potentially_ love. I’m sorry but your brother is not such a person, and even though I’m sure he’d be great in bed, probably amazing, I mean I’ve heard he could go all night and-’

‘To the point, please!’ Thea winced.

‘Right, sorry.’ Felicity felt her cheeks blush. ‘What I’m trying to say is when I give my body to someone, I usually give my heart as well. Oliver is not the type of person who knows what to do with it, and he certainly won’t give me his.’

Thea stood quiet for a couple of seconds, just looking at her friend, before nodding.

‘I understand.’ She smiled and hugged Felicity. ‘Well, I guess you gotta start preparing for a life full of lame pickup lines.’

Felicity chuckled.

‘I’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay?’ Thea winked at her friends and headed out.

Felicity watched her go, until she felt Barry’s hand wrapping around her shoulder.

‘What a suggestion!’ He laughed.

‘Yeah.’ Felicity smiled and turned to him. ‘What did you think of it?’

‘Me?’

‘Yes, you.’

‘Well, I personally agree with you.’ Barry looked at her as well. ‘I mean, I think that’d be a horrible idea. You might get rid of the ‘lame pickup lines’, but something different would come up and… I don’t really know how to explain it.’

‘I understood.’ Felicity nodded.

‘You made the right decision, Felicity.’ Barry squeezed her shoulder.

‘Yeah,’ Felicity pursed her lips. ‘I did.’

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

If Felicity thought she had a bad beginning of the day, the rest of it was even shittier.

After Barry left as well, she helped the guys arrange her stuff in her new office. Then by the time they were finished it was lunch time and she received a call from her mother.

Donna Smoak was a blonde fireball, who was currently on a vacation with her boyfriend- Quentin Lance, a detective in the SCPD. Donna and Quentin had been together for almost 6 years, but neither had the desire to get married since they’ve both been down that road before and they didn’t feel the need to tie the knot. They lived together, of course, but they had decided to just enjoy what they had. Quentin had two daughters- Sara, who was currently on a road trip with her girlfriend, and Laurel, the older one, who lived in NY and didn’t really come back very often.

Felicity got along with both of them, but she was slightly closer with Sara, since they were both younger and because Laurel was rarely in town.

The Lances didn’t really like the Queens, because Oliver had a past with both of the girls. Things didn’t end well between them so now both Sara and Laurel disliked Thea and Oliver. Things used to be very awkward when Thea came over in the past, and when Felicity noticed that, the girls started meeting at the Queen Mansion more. When Felicity got back from college, she had made some money and had bought a nice little flat for herself and Thea’s visits were no longer a problem.

Donna Smoak had called Felicity that day to tell her how beautiful Hawaii was and how Felicity should visit it with her future boyfriend. The whole conversation had Felicity rolling her eyes, because: firstly, her mother was on a holiday and Felicity was working, and secondly, her mother was once again talking about how Felicity needed a boyfriend _NOW_ if she didn’t want to end up all alone. After 13 minutes and 48 seconds Felicity lied to Donna that lunch time was over and hung up.

Next to annoy her was Simon, who, indeed, showed up in her new office and the whole time both of them were so awkward that Felicity wanted to claw her eyes out. Simon tried making jokes, but Felicity found them absolutely boring and couldn’t wait for him to be gone. She tried telling him she was busy a couple of times, but he apparently didn’t get the hint, and instead started telling her about how busy _HE_ was. On top of that, Oliver returned from lunch with one of the secretaries, Alice, who was giggling after him as he was talking with a smirk. Felicity noticed how her upper buttons weren’t done and her breasts were on display. Her hair was slightly messier than it had been in the morning and her lipstick was almost gone. Felicity narrowed her eyes through the glass walls and noticed a pink mark on Oliver’s collar. The same pink shade that Alice had earlier.

Felicity grimaced in disgust and turned away, to look at Simon who was still talking about something.

When she finally managed to get rid of him, Oliver had come out and had teased her a bit about the security guy. Thankfully for her, he had been called for a meeting and had left her.

After that her whole day had been pretty busy with different paper work, and problems with the computer system. Apparently, during lunch break someone had accidentally downloaded a virus from Pornhub, and Felicity had to deal with it. When she got rid of it, she decided to see whose doing it was and had discovered that it was Mister Ronald Donaldson, one of the board members, who was a rich and snobby 61-year-old man with 3 mistresses. _At least, Felicity knew of 3._

By 8 p.m., most of the workers had left, but Felicity, _of course_ , had to work longer. Oliver had disappeared at some point, and even though, his office was _right_ next to hers, she had barely seen him today. _If it was going to be like that every day then she wouldn’t complain_.

It was 9 p.m. and Felicity was nowhere near finished, but she decided to go get dinner for herself. She went to the parking and took her car to Big Belly Burger where she ate in peace for about 15 minutes.

When she walked out it was darker already, making her shiver. She took a couple of steps, before she heard steps behind her. She froze on the spot and turned around. A couple of meters away from her there was a man, walking towards her.

Felicity yelped and started running, hearing the footsteps coming closer. Her heart was racing faster than even, and her feet hurt from the high heels, she’d been in all day. Suddenly, Felicity heard a snap and stumbled. Luckily, for her she managed not to fall, but realized her heel was broken. She quickly took the shoe off, and saw the man coming closer.

She started running again towards her car. She quickly unlocked it and got in. She started it and set off, not wasting more time. She was still shaking, when she looked in the rearview mirror and saw the man angrily throwing something on the ground.

Felicity let out a relieved sigh and headed back to QC.

She parked, and stumbled when she got out of the car. By this moment she was fighting her tears, because she was having the shittiest day EVER.

She decided to stop by the bathroom to freshen up, but accidentally turned the water on too fast and water started going in all directions.

‘Frack!’ Felicity exclaimed and turned it off.

When she looked in the mirror her blouse was soaked and she couldn’t help the helpless sigh.

‘More frack!’ she muttered to herself and went out.

She was walking down the hall, wondering what she had done to deserve this, when she spotted Oliver sitting in his chair.

A couple of seconds later he noticed her as well, his eyes going wide. He walked out of his office and looked her up and down.

‘What are you doing here, Felicity?’ he asked with furrowed eyebrows. ‘It’s almost 11 p.m.’

‘I have a couple of things to finish.’ She pointed to her desk. ‘I’ll be heading out in an hour.’

‘And you wonder why you’re being promoted.’ Oliver smirked.

Felicity let out a small sigh. ‘And why are _you_ still here? Shouldn’t you be at a party or something?’

‘I’m currently having a private party.’ He grinned. ‘Miss ‘Wet T-shirt’ is currently being held here and there’s only one participant.’

‘Stop it.’ Felicity said in a warning tone when he started taking steps towards her.

‘You look dangerously hot right now, Felicity.’ His voice was low and husky, and she shivered.

‘Stop right there, Oliver!’ she said again.

‘I can help you out of that wet thing, before you catch a cold.’ He smirked and looked down towards her wet chest.

‘OLIVER JONAS QUEEN!’ she yelled. ‘I’m gonna tell your mother you’re harassing me!’

Oliver sighed and sat on her chair. ‘C’mon, Felicity…’ he muttered and shook his head helplessly.

‘Oliver,’ Felicity started. ‘Stop this! It’s been going on for too long now. At first I thought you were joking-’

‘Felicity, I’m dead serious about it.’ He looked up at her.

‘Don’t!’ she exclaimed. ‘God, when will you give up?’

‘I don’t take no for an answer, Felicity.’ He chuckled.

_Once he sleeps with you, he’ll never want to do it again…_

Thea’s words replayed in Felicity’s head.

_You’re probably the only woman to say no to him…_

_It’s like a challenge for him…_

Felicity looked at Oliver, who was still staring at her with a smirk on his face. His hand was rubbing his jaw and his tie was slightly loosened. His eyes were roaming all over her body and she was sure her wet white shirt didn’t leave much to his imagination.

_‘Once Felicity sleeps with Oliver, he’ll leave her alone?’ Barry had asked._

_‘It will be ‘Mission accomplished, onto the next one’ for him.’ Thea had assured them._

_Rest of your life…_

Felicity hadn’t been with someone in a while, but damn it, she missed sex.

It did help her relax, and she missed that intimacy and the amazing feeling of the whole act.

She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend at the moment, and Oliver sure as hell didn’t want to be her boyfriend.

_One time with him might not be such a bad idea._

After that horrible day of hers, she needed to let off some steam.

_One time…_

Oliver was looking rather yummy with his half smirk and wild eyes, taking her in.

_Just once…_

‘Fine.’ She said.

Oliver’s mouth fell open, as his eyes widened.

‘What???’ his eyebrows hiked up.

‘Fine.’ She repeated and started unbuttoning her shirt. ‘I’m gonna have sex with you.’

‘I-I-Wh-’ Oliver started stuttering and blinking rapidly. ‘Here???’

‘Yes, dumbass, here!’ Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not taking you back to my place and I sure as hell am not going back to the Mansion. The chances of running into your parents or Thea are too damn high, and I don’t want them to know.’

She threw her wet shirt on the couch and stood in front of him in her white bra and black pencil skirt.

His eyes were going up and down, but much to Felicity’s surprise he looked extremely shocked and unable to make a move.

‘Are-Are you sure?’ he asked hesitantly and loosened his tie even more.

‘What, are you having second thoughts?’ Felicity challenged him. ‘Aren’t you going to show me what is it that keeps women talking about you?’

She walked closer to him. When she reached her chair, where he was currently sitting, she slowly got down and sat on his lap. His eyes closed, and Felicity smiled at herself. She had never done this one night stand thing before, but if she was ever going to, Oliver Queen seemed like the perfect person to do it with. She didn’t plan on having feeling for him, so this thing should be easy, _right_?

‘I-It’s just-’ he looked nervously to the side.

‘All this talk about how I wouldn’t be able to walk for days after you…’ she continued. ‘How I’ll be begging for more? Was it all just talk, Oliver? Are you having doubts in your abilities?’

Suddenly, the nervousness from his eyes was gone and was replaced by something else. _Determination and lust_ …

Oliver grabbed her hips and pulled her right onto his bulge. She moaned when she felt him under her, right on her sensitive parts. When she opened her eyes, she met Oliver’s dark ones, staring right into her, his breath hot on her neck.

‘You know me, Felicity.’ He whispered. ‘I’m not an empty talker.’

‘Show me then.’ She panted.

She didn’t even have time to take a breath, before his hand was on her neck and his lips were slanted over hers.

Felicity’s eyes closed as she returned his heated kiss. His mouth was moving expertly over hers, his lips were bold and demanding. Knowing who she was kissing made Felicity feel awkward at first, but then his tongue was touching hers, and she stopped caring.

She hadn’t kissed him in so long, but for some reason it felt like it had been yesterday, because it was so… _familiar_. Felicity felt like she had been kissing these lips for her whole life, forever. What was weird was the fact that she liked it.

Felicity pushed those thoughts away, saving them for later. Oliver stopped kissing her and dragged his lips down her neck, making her shiver. She was still straddling his hips and his hands were on her hips, gripping her tightly.

Suddenly, he bit her neck harshly, making her hiss.

‘Sorry, I got carried away.’ he whispered. ‘I’ve wanted to do that for a while.’

With those words, his hand moved to the inside of her right tight, till it reached her panties. His fingers were so gentle and light, that Felicity bit her lip to keep herself from moaning out loud. She didn’t want to show him how much he affected her.

She felt him play with the cotton material, before he pushed 2 fingers inside of her. At that moment Felicity could no longer hold back. She panted loudly in his ear, before she could stop herself. That seemed to have encouraged him, because he started moving his fingers in and out, occasionally curling them inside of her. Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself to him even more.

When he pulled his fingers out, Felicity’s eyes opened and she pulled slightly away from him to ask what was wrong. Before she could do that, Oliver gripped her ass with his hands and stood up, lifting her with him. He pressed his mouth to hers again and she slid her tongue in his mouth. All of a sudden, he hit his leg somewhere and stumbled. Felicity pulled away from his mouth on instinct and yelped. Luckily, before they could fall down, he managed to steady himself and when Felicity looked at him, she saw him making a grimace.

‘Did it hurt?’ she asked.

‘I hit my fucking foot on that corner, what do you think?’ he answered back.

‘Wow, watch your tone!’ she warned. ‘Or you can go finish yourself off in your office.’

‘Nah,’ he shook his head. ‘You gotta finish what you started.’

‘Says who?’

Just as Felicity was about to continue arguing, he moved one of his hands from her ass, holding her with just one hand. _She would never say that to him, but she found it extremely hot how strong he was._

He used his free hand to clear her desk by pushing all of the papers, pens and other stuff away. Her things fell to the ground with a loud thud and Felicity turned around to see what exactly had fallen.

‘My lucky pen!’ she exclaimed.

‘Which one?’ Oliver sat her on the desk.

‘This red one, you jerk!’ she pointed to the object on the ground. ‘If it’s broken, I swear to God, I’ll-’

‘I’ll buy you a new one if it’s broken.’ Oliver tried kissing her but she turned her head.

‘It has sentimental value to me!’

‘How about you tell me the story… later?’ Oliver said with a fake smile. ‘When we’re done.’

Felicity narrowed her eyes but she was way too turned on to keep away from him any longer. ‘Fine.’

He slammed his mouth on hers again and pushed her further on the desk, till she was lying completely. He pulled away from her, just so he could climb on it, so that he was hovering over her. When he kissed her again, Felicity ran her fingers through his hair and gripped his short ends. His own hands were soon under her gliding over her back. When he reached her bra, he unlocked the clamp. Oliver pulled her bra away and kissed her again. Then his lips moved to her chin and neck, going lower and lower. When his mouth touched her right nipple, Felicity sucked in a breath. He slightly bit her there, before licking the same spot. Felicity’s eyes were closed and she was biting her lip lower hard. Then he moved to her left breast and she suddenly decided she didn’t care that he’d see how good it felt, so she moaned loudly. When she looked down, she saw him looking at her already with a predatory look on his face and a small half-smirk.

‘Stop looking at me like that!’ she pushed his head towards her chest, but only made him chuckle.

‘Like what?’ he asked when he moved up.

His blue eyes were so dark and his breath was hot on her face. He brushed his nose with hers and took her hands in his, before pulling them over her head.

 ‘You’re too dressed.’ She muttered.

‘We can fix that.’ He grinned and unbuttoned the rest of shirt.

He threw it on the ground and took his shoes off. His pants and boxers were gone next, leaving him bare for her eyes to see. She gulped when she saw him in his _full glory_ , but didn’t comment on his size so that she wouldn’t boost his ego even more.

Oliver reached for her skirt and pulled the zipper down, and threw it next to his own clothes on the ground. Then he hooked his fingers in the corner of her panties and dragged them down her legs as well. When they were both completely naked again, he climbed on top of her again and kissed her lips feverously. His hips were grinding against hers and Felicity could feel his member between their bodies.

‘You have a condom, right?’ she asked all of a sudden.

He looked down at her, and sighed, his head falling on her chest. ‘Fuck.’ He whispered.

‘What?’ she asked with slight panic. ‘Please, tell me you do. Because I’m not letting you anywhere near me without one… Well, more near. _Nearer_. Anyway! Do you have one?’

‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘But it’s in my office.’

Both of them looked through the glass wall towards his office and sighed.

‘Well,’ she shrugged. ‘Go get it!’

He groaned, before getting up, and tiptoed to his office. This gave Felicity the perfect opportunity to check him out.

He had the nicest butt she had ever seen. It was round, toned and tanned. His shoulders were broad and his back muscles flexed with every movement of his. She licked her lips unintentionally at the same time he turned around. He must’ve caught her, if his grin was any indication.

When he got back, he placed the condom and was on top of her again. He kissed her again, and used his fingers to touch her nipples, to keep her turned on and wet.

Felicity felt the tip of his penis brush her folds and inhaled loudly. This was all Oliver needed because the next moment he was adjusting himself to her entrance. Then in one swift motion, he was inside of her, causing both of them to moan. Oliver stilled on top of her and dropped his head in the crook of her neck.

‘Why’d you stop?’ Felicity asked, panting. ‘C’mon, move.’

‘Just a second.’ Oliver breathed in her neck, making her shiver. ‘I need to… ugh… control…’

Felicity was breathing heavily underneath him, waiting for him to move again. When he stood like that for a couple of moments, she sighed and moved her hips upwards, making him groan.

Oliver got up on his elbows and started moving in and out of her. He wasn’t gentle, his movements were rough and hard, but not painful for Felicity. In fact, she loved the pace and strength with which he was hitting her.

‘Have you…’ Felicity breathed. ‘Done that… Before?’

‘What?’ he groaned and thrust inside of her. ‘Sex?’

He chuckled, his breath hot on her neck, making her close her eyes.

‘No, dummy!’ she whispered. ‘I mean… Yeah! In an office?’

He stopped moving for a second and lifted his head up to meet her eyes. ‘Do you really want to talk about that?’

Felicity blinked up at him and saw his forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat. His biceps were flexed and his chest was pressed against hers. His penis was buried inside of her, filling her in completely and her legs were wrapped around his waist.

‘You know what?’ she spoke. ‘You’re right. Let’s not talk about that now.’

He chuckled, and even thought it was dark, Felicity could still see the playfulness in his eyes and his smirk. _Oh, no… He was doing it._

‘Stop that!’ she exclaimed.

‘Stop what?’ he asked, still smiling down at her.

‘You know!’ she brushed her fingers over his lips. ‘The ‘Oliver Queen look’!’

‘The _what_?’ he laughed.

‘Ugh, whatever!’ Felicity blushed. ‘Let’s… finish this.’

Oliver nodded and thrust into her again. His hands were all over her body, touching her everywhere. His lips were either kissing hers or were drawing random things on her neck. Every time he licked her collarbone, Felicity sighed in pleasure. She realized he had found an erogenous zone that had never been discovered before. Every time his lips or tongue was in that hollow between the two collarbones, she moaned into his ear.

Soon, she could feel she was close to the edge, and grabbed his shoulders even tighter. As if he realized, his hand came between their bodies and his thumb pressed against her clit. This was all Felicity needed, as she came with a shout.

Oliver started moving faster and faster and a couple of thrusts later, he came as well, filling the condom. He dropped his body on hers, both of them sticky and sweaty, trying to catch their breaths. They stood like that for some moments, but Oliver’s weight was too much for Felicity and she pushed him slightly off. Oliver understood, and stood up.

She sat up on her desk, and stared at the wall, avoiding his gaze.

_What. Had just happened?_

She saw Oliver silently getting dressed with the corner of her eye. She gulped and wondered what was going to happen between them now.

Now that her arousal and annoyance from the day were gone, she could think clearly and realized she’d made a BIG mistake.

_What was she thinking? How could she do this?_

She wondered what people would say if they found out. They were already talking about how she got her job in the IT department, and with that new promotion, and her moving to his floor… _Oh God_! She had done a really stupid thing for someone as smart as her.

And… Oliver wasn’t making this any easier. For the first time in her life, she wanted him to joke around, and grin at her, but he currently had his back to her as he was buttoning his shirt. He was silent, but Felicity saw how tense his back muscles were. Yes, he really was a one-time type of man, but did he always ignore the girls like that afterwards or was it only her? She gulped, trying to ignore the sting she felt from his behavior. She smacked her head quietly, cursing herself.

She still had her face buried in her hands, when suddenly she heard Oliver clearing his throat. When she looked up, he was holding her clothes and was extending his hand, giving them to her.

‘Thanks.’ She muttered and got up from the desk, taking her clothes.

He nodded shortly and pursed his lips. When she put on her underwear, her shirt followed. Then she pulled on her skirt and Oliver spoke.

‘You, um… you need help?’ he asked. ‘With… with the zipper, I mean.’

‘Thanks, but I’m fine.’ She pursed her lips.

‘Okay, I’ll… I need to take some things from my office then I’m headed out.’ He told her. ‘I’ll wait so that I can walk you to your car.’

‘Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.’ She assured him. ‘You should go.’

He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but decided against it. He nodded and wished her a good night, saying that he’d see her tomorrow.

When he left her office, Felicity adjusted her skirt and took her phone in her hand. When she unlocked it, her mouth fell in shock.

_It was 12:53 a.m._

She had been having sex with Oliver Queen for almost 2 hours!

_2 hours…_

It had felt like 15 minutes at max. For a second, Felicity had wanted to go more because she thought they’d ended too fast but seeing the time, made her realize that she was wrong.

Oliver walked out of his office and nodded to her, before going to the elevator. When he was gone, Felicity fell on her couch, exhausted from the day, from overthinking, _from him_ …

‘Frack…’ she whispered. ‘Frack, frack, frackity frack.’

She needed help. She needed to talk to someone.

That someone couldn’t be Thea… _No, Thea could never know_.

She took out her phone and dialed Barry’s number. After six rings, he finally answered, his voice sleepy.

‘F’licity?’ he asked. ‘What is it?’

‘Barry…’ she started. ‘I need your help!’

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, the worry in his voice clear.

‘I can’t talk over the phone.’ She said. ‘Can I sleep at your place tonight?’

‘I-I mean, sure.’ Barry agreed. ‘Can you at least tell me something?’

‘I did something really, REALLY stupid.’ Felicity shut her eyes.

‘Not that I mind, but isn’t Thea a better option to talk to?’ Barry asked. ‘You’re both girls, and-’

‘NO!’ Felicity yelled. ‘Thea can’t know!’

‘Whaaaat?’ Barry asked in confusion. ‘You’re freaking me out! What happened?’

‘I told you. I did something REALLY stupid.’

‘How stupid?’ Barry asked suspiciously.

‘Oliver Queen-stupid.’ Felicity muttered.

‘I’m sorry… WHAT? Did… Did you-’

‘Yes, Barry. I did Oliver Queen…’ Felicity confessed with a sigh.

The silence of the other end of the phone was deafening.

‘Look, I’m coming over.’ Felicity said.

‘The-The door will be unlocked.’ was all Barry could say.

Felicity pursed her lips, and hung up. She gathered her things in her back, and walked out, leaving the mess she and Oliver had made in her office behind.

_Too bad she couldn’t leave her current problem behind that easily._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that happened. I tried making the sex a bit more awkward, I hope I did it justice.   
> I hope you liked this chapter. If you did, please give me kudos and don't be shy and tell what you thought!  
> See you soon!


	3. Chatper 2- I got 99 problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of Barricity, some Thelicity, Olicity and Merlicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys!   
> First, I want to thank you for the response to this story! I'm so glad you enjoy it! ^_^  
> Secondly, I want to clarify a couple of things. Some people feel like Oliver's remarks are more like sexual harassment and they've started hating this version of him. I completely understand. BUT, I personally think Oliver never thought she'd agree to do it and he was just teasing her. Did he want to sleep with her? Yes. Did he think he ever would? No.   
> The thing is, I want him to be like that, I want him to be an annoying douche right now so that we can follow his character development in future chapters. Felicity has some growth to do herself, so I believe they're both in for a crazy journey. I want the love to grow and I will try my best to write it well. So, if you don't like where this is going you can stop reading. I would love it for you to give me a chance and stay, but I can't make you do that against your will. Either way, I want to thank you all for your comments. <3  
> This story isn't beta-d, all mistakes are mine.   
> This wonderful poster was made by Victoria. You can find her on twitter: victori96572376 <3  
> Happy reading! I hope you stick around for more ^_^

 

 

 

Felicity opened Barry’s door and hesitantly walked in his apartment. She knew Barry would not approve and frankly, she didn’t blame him. She hated herself for sleeping with Oliver. But that didn’t mean she was ready to be yelled at by Barry.

She took a deep breath and entered his living room, only to find him on his feet already, his favorite red robe wrapped around him. He had an angry expression and Felicity knew she was right. _He was going to yell_.

‘FELICITY MEGAN SMOAK!’ he shouted as soon as he saw her. ‘HOW COULD YOU?’

She exhaled loudly and lied on his couch.

‘Get up!’ Barry spoke. ‘I’m not done!’

‘I know, Barry, I know.’ Felicity rubbed her temples. ‘I don’t want to hear it.’

‘I don’t care!’ Barry exclaimed. ‘Are you stupid? How could you do that?’

‘Barry, I know I made a mistake, okay…’ Felicity raised her voice. ‘I just…’

Her words got lost, as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She sat up and took her head in her hands. Felicity could feel Barry pacing left and right around the room, probably just as shocked by her decision as her.

‘Can you just…’ Barry sighed. ‘How?’

Felicity looked up and saw his confused expression.

‘I… I had a really, really bad day, Barry.’

‘So, naturally you decide to have sex with…’ Barry grimaced. ‘I can’t even say his name right now. I am THIS mad.’

‘I know it was stupid but…’ Felicity shook her head helplessly. ‘You know I’ve been in a shitty mood recently. I was so stressed throughout the whole day, and then this maniac chased me in the Big Belly Burger parking lot, and my heel broke. I was on the verge of tears, when I saw Oliver in his office and he looked really good and-’

‘My God! Felicity!’ Barry yelled.

‘I know, Barry!’ she looked up at him. ‘I know it was wrong! God! I hate myself for doing it.’

Barry looked at her with a disgusted expression on his face. Suddenly, that was replaced by anger and he took his phone from the table. He dialed a number and waited.

‘What-Wh-Who are you calling?’ Felicity asked, panic kicking in.

‘Thea.’ Barry answered. ‘This is all her fault!’

‘What?! No!’

‘Yes!’ Barry continued. ‘She put that dumbass idea in your head!’

‘Barry!’ Felicity shouted and got up on her feet, trying to pull the phone out of his hands. ‘Stop! Please!’

The two of them fought for the phone, and luckily for Felicity, Thea wasn’t picking up. In the end, Felicity managed to grab the phone from his hands, and hung up.

‘What the hell, Barry?’ Felicity yelled.

‘She manipulated you into sleeping with her brother, Felicity!’ Barry yelled back.

‘The damage is done, Barry.’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘What is Thea supposed to do? Unfuck me? Please, don’t put the blame for this on her. It’s not her fault. _I_ gave in. _I_ made the decision myself.’

Barry’s features softened, as soon as he saw her own frustration and he closed his eyes with a sigh. When he opened them his clear blue eyes met hers, and slowly walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and enveloped her in a tight hug.

‘Was he…’ Barry started. ‘Was he at least good to you?’

Felicity looked up to meet his eyes again.

‘He didn’t hurt you, did he?’ Barry continued. Felicity could see how hard it was for him to even ask such things. ‘He wasn’t forceful, right?’

‘No.’ Felicity answered.

Barry nodded shortly and let go of her.

‘Hey, are you hungry?’ he asked and then winced. ‘You’re probably not. You were at Big Belly. I’m sorry, I forgo-’

‘Hey, Barry,’ she smiled weakly at him. ‘I am hungry.’

Barry smiled back and she followed him to the kitchen, where he quickly made four bacon sandwiches. When he placed two in her plate, and two in his, he sat on the counter next to her, and the two of them started eating in silence.

‘You know, Barry,’ Felicity started after a while. ‘It’s easier to blame everyone else for the whole situation.’

Barry looked up and met her eyes.

‘But,’ she continued. ‘It’s not Thea’s fault. And it’s not Oliver’s fault, so you shouldn’t blame them. No one forced me into doing anything against my will. I am the only one to blame.’

‘But, Felicity,’ Barry looked to the side. ‘He’s older than you, he should’ve thought about this better.’

‘Yeah, everyone knows Oliver’s not really good at thinking with his head. Upper head, I mean. Because he usually thinks with his lower one.’

Barry chuckled at that and Felicity smiled at him.

‘What I’m trying to say, Barry, is that you shouldn’t be angry at them.’ She shrugged. ‘If you want to be angry at someone, that someone should be me.’

‘You know I can’t do that.’ Barry teased. ‘But I still hate that guy.’ 

‘There’s something about him.’ Felicity took another bite from her sandwich. ‘It’s like this I’m-a-playboy-and-I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-anything vibe he has going is just an act. A façade. A role he plays for the public. There’s so much more to him than he shows. I’ve seen him with his family, Barry. He is so different. I… I can’t understand why he does that.’

‘You always try to see the good in people.’ Barry spoke. ‘Even when the people are hopeless cases like Oliver Queen.’

‘Well, at least now I know what all the fuss was about.’ She shrugged.

Barry chocked, making her giggle. For a moment, he looked way too uncomfortable, but then curiosity probably took over him, and he couldn’t help his next question.

‘Was he good?’

Felicity smirked. ‘Very.’

‘What exactly did he do?’ Barry asked again. ‘ _I’m asking for a friend._ ’

‘I… Nothing in particular, but…’ Felicity blushed. ‘He just hit all the right places, I guess.’

Barry winced and Felicity laughed at the face he made.

‘I don’t want you to worry about me, Barry.’ She smiled at him. ‘It wasn’t a bad experience for me. It was just… wrong. You understand what I mean? It was nice, but shouldn’t have happened.’

‘And what are you gonna do now?’ Barry asked.

‘I don’t know.’ She pursed her lips. ‘I guess I’ll go with the flow. I feel like he’s gonna pretend it never happened, which is… fine by me.’

Barry raised a suspicious eyebrow in her direction. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah, why?’

‘I’ll tell you something but I don’t want you to get mad, okay?’ Barry started and she nodded. ‘I’ve always had this feeling that… I don’t know, you have… maybe a slight crush on him?’

‘WHAT?’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘On Oliver???’

‘Well, I know it sounds ridiculous, but-’

‘You’re right. It sounds ridiculous.’

‘There was always some weird tension between the two of you.’ Barry shrugged. ‘You’ve always found him attractive. And you believe he is better than what he shows.’

‘That doesn’t mean I have a _crush_ on him.’ Felicity denied.

‘Okay.’ Barry raised his hands in surrender. ‘It was just a thought.’

‘It was dumb.’ She rolled her eyes.

‘Don’t you dare talk about dumb after what you’ve just done.’ Barry raised him eyebrows.  

Felicity blushed. ‘Touché.’

When they were finished with their sandwiches, they washed and dried the dishes, and went to bed. Felicity could soon feel Barry drifting off to sleep behind her.

_Too bad sleep didn’t come to her that easily._

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Barry woke her up after less than 3 hours of sleep so that she could get ready for work. After all, she had to stop by her apartment to shower and change her clothes.

So at 7 a.m. Felicity was in her place, getting dressed. She decided to go to work with a red flow-y jumpsuit and black heels. Her hair was down in waves and her makeup was simple, in contrast to the bright jumpsuit.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and winced. She decided that maybe this jumper wasn’t the best idea for a work outfit, so she decided to change.

 _Jumpsuits were harder to undress_ , she thought to herself. Not that she was going to get undressed. Not that she wanted to get undressed easier... She wasn’t going to do anything that included undressing. She didn’t want to... She wasn’t going to have sex. No, no, no. Especially not with Oliver. Nein, nada. No sex with Oliver. _She didn’t want that. Nope_.

‘Ugh, great.’ She muttered. ‘Now I’m babbling in my head… And I’m talking to myself.’

She smacked her head lightly and went to her wardrobe again. She picked a navy blue pair of pants and a soft pink sleeveless shirt. She stood in front of the mirror again and smiled.

_Pants didn’t take too long to take off. Although maybe a skirt would be a better opti-… No!_

She shook her head to stop herself from thinking any more, and quickly left her apartment.

She walked in the building at 9:30 a.m. sharp.

‘Felicity, hi!’

Felicity internally growled when she saw Simon grinning at her.

‘Hi… Simon!’ she gave him a tight smile.

‘How are you?’ he asked enthusiastically.

‘I’m good. Thank you.’ She nodded awkwardly.

‘Well,’ he cleared his throat. ‘Did anything interesting happen to you?’

‘Since yesterday?’ Felicity asked, trying really hard to hide her annoyance. ‘No, not really.’

Just as Simon opened his mouth to talk, he was interrupted by a third person.

‘Hello, both of you.’ Thea’s voice rang in Felicity’s head. ‘Felicity, may I have a word with you?’

‘Um, sure.’ Felicity smiled at her friend.

There was something about Thea’s behavior that was off, but Felicity brushed it off. The younger Queen had different mood swings all the time, so Felicity wasn’t really bothered. Thea probably had another gala to attend and needed Felicity’s help on picking shoes or something.

Thea pulled her by her hand and dragged her in one of the elevators.

‘You’re in a rush.’ Felicity commented.

‘We don’t have much time before Mom and Ollie arrive.’ Thea waited by the elevator.

The mention of Oliver made Felicity’s stomach clench, but she tried to keep a neutral face not to show anything to Thea.

The second the doors opened, Felicity was dragged in the elevator by Thea. They had barely started moving, when Thea pushed one of the buttons, causing the elevator to stop. The light went red all of a sudden making the place much darker.

‘Thea,’ Felicity winced. ‘What’s goin-?’

‘Felicity Megan Smoak’ Thea grinned at her. ‘You cheeky little thing!’

‘I-What are you talking abo-?’

‘You slept with Ollie last night!’ Thea exclaimed. ‘And don’t try to deny it!’

Felicity’s eyes widened in shock. She could feel her cheeks burning and her heart beating faster. Thea was staring at her with a huge grin.

‘I-I… he…’ Felicity stuttered. ‘How do you know?’

‘I heard him talking to Tommy over the phone this morning.’

Felicity could feel anger rise in her. How could he tell someone about it? There was an unspoken rule with one night stands that you don’t talk about it! _With anyone! Ever! Now she hated him and herself even more!_ He was such an asshole! After he’d ignored her so hard when they were done last night, she thought he’d forget about it completely. And here he was now, telling about it to _everyone_. She hadn’t told anyone!

Well, Barry doesn’t count. He was her best friend, after all.

_Just like Tommy was Oliver’s best friend…_

She growled at herself and how dramatic she was about everything these days.

‘So don’t try to deny it!’ Thea repeated.

‘I…’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Thea asked again.

‘I-’

‘Is that why Barry called me last night at 1:56 a.m.?’ The youngest Queen continued.

‘Yes.’

‘This morning I called him and he sounded strange, said he called the wrong number.’ Thea crossed her arms in front of her chest. ‘You told him not to tell me.’

‘Thea-’

‘Why?’ the brunette asked in confusion. ‘I thought I was your best friend.’

‘You are.’ Felicity pleaded. ‘I was just… ashamed.’

‘But you weren’t ashamed of Barry?’ Thea raised an eyebrow.

‘I-He’s…’ Felicity sighed. ‘I slept with your brother, Thea. Your brother!’

‘I-I know.’

‘It’s so weird and awkward saying it. I couldn’t say it!’ Felicity explained.

‘Well, I kinda pushed you to do it, so why are you so worried?’ Thea continued.

‘It is dumb, Thea. Yesterday morning I told you it would never happen and the same night it happens.’ 

‘It’s dumb that you thought you couldn’t trust me.’ Thea pursed her lips.

‘So,’ Felicity winced. ‘You’re not mad I did it?’

‘Mad?’ Thea laughed. ‘Of course I’m not mad. My brother finally slept with the girl he’s been chasing for years, and you’re gonna get the freedom you deserve. It’s a win-win situation.’

‘You really think so?’ Felicity asked again.

‘I’m sure of it.’ Thea grinned. ‘Everything will be great from now on.’

‘I hope so.’ Felicity sighed. ‘I hope this doesn’t ruin my relationship with him. I mean, we’re not exactly best friends, but we’re… normal friends. You know, we spend a lot of time together, our families know each other and he-’

‘You’re babbling.’ Thea smiled at her.

‘Right, sorry.’ Felicity nodded.

‘I need you to make me a promise, okay?’ Thea asked.

‘Anything for you.’

‘Don’t ever, EVER feel uncomfortable to share things with me.’ Thea looked at Felicity with the most serious expression ever. ‘I am your best friend. You know what best friends do. They don’t judge each other.’

Felicity smiled. ‘Okay, I promise.’

‘Good.’ Thea smiled back and the two of them hugged each other.

When they pulled away, Thea pushed another button and the lights were back to normal. The elevator started moving upwards, stopping occasionally to pick other people up.

Soon, they were upstairs, and when they walked out of the elevator, they saw Moira and Oliver talking animatedly in his office. Felicity’s heart started racing faster for some unknown to her reason, so she decided to open a window to cool herself down a bit. He looked illegally gorgeous, _damn him_. That gorgeous bastard… That gorgeous bastard, she needed to avoid now because of her stupidity.

He was looking annoyed by the conversation he was having with Moira, while she was looking at him with a serious expression, explaining something to him.

‘Another day for the Queens.’ Thea sighed.

She walked in Oliver’s office, stood to the side unnoticed for a couple of seconds, and came out to stay with Felicity.

‘Booring…’ she fake yawned. ‘Why don’t you show me what you’re currently working on?’

‘I could show you,’ Felicity started. ‘But you wouldn’t understand a thing.’

‘Hey!’ Thea exclaimed. ‘Just because I study fashion doesn’t mean I’m dumb!’

‘I didn’t say you’re dumb. You just don’t understand computers.’ Felicity shrugged.

In the end, Felicity turned on her computer and started working, while Thea walked around her and asked different questions (not work related, _of course_ , because honestly, Thea couldn’t care less about the company). Felicity looked up into Oliver’s office and saw Moira yelling something at him, while he raised his hands in surrender. He started talking when she was finished, and she just sighed and helplessly fell on his couch.

‘What’s that about?’ Felicity asked.

‘Try to guess.’ Thea grinned.

‘I don’t know, Thea.’ Felicity rolled her eyes.

‘Mom’s angry at him because he can’t find a decent girlfriend.’ Thea explained. ‘At galas, and family meetings, he brings different models with boob and nose jobs and shit. Last week he came with this bimbo that looked faker than a Barbie doll. Don’t get me started on how dumb she was. Mom thinks he should try to settle down, and Ollie, well… he’s not ready to say goodbye to his playboy life just yet.’

‘Oh.’ Was all Felicity could say.

She looked through the glass wall again and saw Oliver with a pained expression on his face. He looked like he was in actual physical pain, as if he was being tortured.

Then he looked to the side and met her gaze. His eyes widened, as if he wasn’t expecting them to have an eye contact and blinked up at her. Felicity just stared back at him, noticing the bags under his eyes and how tired he looked today, as if he hadn’t slept.

_So that made two of them._

When their eyes met, she remembered everything from the previous night and bit her lower lip. Suddenly, she started panicking because when she had left, her desk was a mess. _Who had cleaned?_ _Oh, God_ … Someone had seen it and knew exactly what had happened.

Regret and concert rushed through her, but the anger at herself, for what she’d done, was the worst.

Now, she was seeing the same things reflected in his _beautiful_ blue eyes and it made her hate for herself grow even more.

When he turned away from her to look at his mother again, Felicity tried to ignore this weird thing her heart was doing and started typing on her keyboard.

Soon after Moira walked out with a tired expression and walked to the girls.

‘Good morning, ladies.’ She greeted. ‘How are you, Felicity?’

‘Good, thanks.’ Felicity smiled. ‘And you?’

‘Well,’ Moira sighed and shook her head. ‘As good as I can be with such a problematic family.’

‘Hey!’ Thea exclaimed. ‘I’m not problematic.’

‘You are, my dear.’ Moira nodded. ‘But right now your brother is the worst so… you can have a break.’

The three of them chuckled, and after a couple of small talk, Moira and Thea left so that Felicity could work.

She decided to ignore Oliver who hadn’t come out of his office for the past hour, so she continued her work. She was so taken by all the files she had to go through, she almost missed the clearing a throat.

But she didn’t miss it. She heard it and she knew exactly who it belonged to. She wanted to ignore it so bad, but she couldn’t do it anymore so she just looked up to find Oliver leaning on the glass wall right next to her.

‘Hi.’ He spoke.

‘Hey.’ She muttered.

She looked at her screen again trying to avoid his gaze. The awkward silence between them was making her more nervous than she’d ever been before.

‘So,’ he started again. ‘How are you?’

Was he… actually trying to have small talk with her? Right now? _What was he playing_?

‘I’m good, thank you.’ She decided to play along. ‘I’d ask if you’re okay, but you don’t look like it.’

He let out a small chuckle. ‘No, I’m not… But that’s not what I came to talk about.’

_Here it goes…_

‘What did you come to talk about?’ she asked, even though she had a pretty good idea.

‘We’re cool right?’ he asked.

She looked up at him and saw the worry in his eyes. She’d never seen him like this before. He almost looked shy and… insecure. Two adjectives she never thought she’d use to describe Oliver Queen.

‘Why wouldn’t we be?’ she shrugged.

‘You know why.’ He looked to the side as well.

‘I…’ she blushed. ‘Yeah, we’re cool, I guess.’

‘Good.’ He pursed his lips. ‘That’s very good because I… I value you as a person in my life.’

Felicity’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Was today Hanukkah? Was this a Christmas miracle? What was going on with him? Who was that person in front of her? What was he saying?

He? Valued her? HER? When he’d literally chased her for sex for a couple of years?

‘Mmmhhmmm.’ was all Felicity could manage to say through pursed lips.

‘And I-’ he motioned to her desk. ‘I came by a little earlier and fixed _this_. You should probably check if I put everything in its’ right place.’

Felicity blinked up at him, because _he had actually cleaned her desk_ … Oliver Queen…

‘I will, thanks.’ She said.

‘Okay,’ he rubbed his neck with one of his hands. ‘Now that we’ve… cleared the air… We can get to work, right?’

‘Right.’ Felicity nodded.

Oliver stood by her side for a couple of quiet seconds. When he saw she wasn’t going to say anything else, he just wished her a good day and walked in his office.

After that both them got busy with their own work and projects. Felicity fought hard the urge to turn around and look at him, because, _dang it_ , she was curious.

She couldn’t even explain it, but she just wanted to look at him, no real reason behind it. She was curious to see his facial expressions when he read thing he liked or didn’t like, she wanted to see his reactions and how he accepted things.

Okay, maybe she was curious because last night she had seen him in a whole new light. She had never thought he’d be so… _expressive_.

She remembered all the quiet and not so quiet noises he’d made. She remembered that _he actually growled_ from time to time...

But his face, it was something else…

In the dark office, the only light had been coming from the moon through the wide window. She had been able to see how his eyes closed with every thrust, how they darkened when she moaned, how intensely he looked at her when she had come. She had managed to see every detail, every-

‘Hey, Smoaky.’

Felicity jumped slightly and looked up to see Tommy Merlyn grinning at her.

‘Damn you, Merlyn.’ Felicity let out a relieved sigh.

‘Didn’t mean to startle you.’ He chuckled.

‘Too late.’ She smiled back at him. ‘You know I’m a jumpy person.’

‘I do.’ He nodded. ‘How are you feeling this morning?’

Only when he gave her a playful smile, did Felicity realize he knew. Oliver had told him and Tommy Merlyn knew she’d slept with Oliver Queen.

She tried to keep a straight face, doing her best not to show him any sign of emotion.

‘I’m good, thank you very much.’ She said nervously. ‘And you?’

‘Meh,’ he shrugged. ‘Didn’t get much sleep last night.’

‘That’s…’ Felicity tried looking him straight in the eye. ‘Very unfortunate.’

‘Yeah, well’ he smiled. ‘At least one of us slept well.’

‘Mmmmmhhhhmmmm.’ Felicity smiled awkwardly.

‘Well, I gotta go.’ Tommy looked through the glass wall towards Oliver. ‘My buddy and I have some planning to do.’

‘What kind of planning?’ Felicity asked and bit her tongue, knowing that even though they were all _friends_ , it was still none of her business.

‘One that involves a yacht, and some bikini models.’ Tommy winked. ‘It’s Carter’s birthday on Friday… Which is tomorrow, _huh_ , time passes by so fast… Anyway, he’s in for a big surprise.’

‘Great.’ Felicity said sarcastically.

‘You could join us, Smoaky.’ Tommy suggested. ‘I bet Oliver wouldn’t mind it.’

Felicity winced but Tommy interrupted her again.

‘You know, he has this special pickup line saved for you.’

‘Really?’ Felicity grimaced again.

‘Yeah.’ He chuckled. ‘He was going to ask you this: if your right leg was Christmas, and your left leg was Easter, could he come for dinner between the holidays.’

He started laughing loudly, and Felicity felt herself getting angrier. She turned to see Oliver through the glass wall, and found him already looking at them with a curious look on his face. She couldn’t help the angry glares and when their eyes met, he almost looked scared of her.

‘Well,’ she turned to speak to Tommy again. ‘Good thing he didn’t ask, because I’m Jewish.’

Tommy blinked a couple of times, before bursting out in laughter again.

‘What’s going on here?’ Oliver’s voice caught Felicity’s attention.

She looked up and saw him standing by his door.

Just as Felicity was about to tell him to go to hell, she heard the elevator doors opening, and realized someone had come to her office. She turned her head in that direction and saw Barry walking in. As soon as the other two saw him, they both straightened up and tension filled the air.

Felicity knew Tommy and Barry couldn’t stand each other. Barry and Oliver tried to stay civil for Thea’s sake, but she knew how much Barry disliked the older Queen sibling.

‘Hi, Felicity.’ Barry greeted with a serious expression.

‘Hey.’ She greeted back. ‘What brings you here?’

‘You forgot your phone charger at my place last night.’ Barry informed her.

‘Wait.’ Oliver spoke. ‘Didn’t you go home last night? After… work.’

‘No.’ Felicity said coolly.

Oliver pursed his lips and nodded shortly, while Tommy snorted.

‘You want to say something, Thomas?’ Barry asked with an annoyed tone.

‘No…’ Tommy gritted his teeth. ‘Bartholomew.’

Felicity looked from one to the other, feeling the tension growing. She knew Barry hated his full name and Tommy had used it intentionally to piss him off.

‘Right.’ Barry narrowed his eyes. ‘Hey, Felicity, I wanted to talk to you abou-’

‘So, Felicity,’ Tommy interrupted him rudely. ‘I was telling you about the yacht party for Carter.’

‘Yes, you were.’ Felicity nodded.

‘If you decide to come,’ Tommy continued. ‘Make sure you wear black or gold, that’s the theme.’

‘Oh,’ Felicity said with fake interest. ‘I will consider it.’

‘Or you don’t have to wear anything.’ Tommy chuckled and Felicity saw Oliver sending him a WTF glare. ‘Half of those models are gonna be naked anyway… Boobs everywhere.’

Tommy looked to the side, lost in his daydream, while he was leaning on Oliver, who was looking rather uncomfortable from the whole exchange.

Felicity looked up to see Barry, who had a disgusted grimace on his face. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I’m definitely gonna go now. I need to spend some time with people with an IQ over 10.’

Tommy’s head shot up in his direction, and Oliver’s jaw clenched so tightly, Felicity though he might break his teeth.

‘What the fuck are you saying, Allen?’ Tommy bit.

‘What’s your problem?’ Oliver joined him.

‘I don’t really have time to name them all, Oliver.’ Barry answered.

‘What, you think you’re so smart?’ Tommy asked furiously. ‘Well, guess what, you’re not.’

‘At least, I show respect for people.’ Barry spat. ‘I have goals and ideals, and-’

‘I show respect.’ Tommy mimicked Barry’s voice. ‘Do you go out, Allen? To have this thing called FUN? Or they don’t let you in clubs because you look like a fucking 16-year-old?’

‘I’d rather look 16,’ Barry started. ‘That have a pigeon brain.’

‘At least I can grow a beard!’ Tommy answered back.

‘Okay, that’s enough.’ Felicity stood up after that childish argument. ‘All of you, calm down…Barry,’ she looked at her friend. ‘Let me walk you out.’

Barry sighed and started walking towards the elevator.

‘I’ll be back in 10 minutes.’ She informed Oliver, barely looking at him, before following Barry.

‘What the hell, Barry?’ she started as soon as they were behind the elevator doors.

‘I’m sorry, Felicity. It’s just… Tommy Merlyn is the biggest douche out there.’

‘Yeah, but his best friend is my boss!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘I don’t want to get fired.’

‘Oh, come on.’ Barry rolled his eyes. ‘Oliver’s not gonna fire you and you know it.’

Felicity blushed. ‘Just… don’t do that, okay? You’re only making yourself angry. And for what? They’re not worth it.’

‘I know, I know.’ Barry sighed. ‘But the second I see Tommy Merlyn’s smug disrespecting little face and I get fired up.’

‘Oh, what are you gonna do?’ Felicity chuckled. ‘Beat him up?’

‘Well,’ Barry started defensively. ‘I could try. He’s not _that_ strong himself. But he has Oliver in his corner, so…’

‘Look,’ Felicity patted his back. ‘I understand you hate them, especially after last night’s events and you want to ‘defend my honor’, but I’m a big girl, Barry. I can take care of myself.’

‘So, what am I supposed to do as your best friend?’ Barry asked.

‘Don’t think about them anymore, okay?’ Felicity smiled at him.

‘What am I supposed to think about then?’ Barry grinned.

‘I had a surprise for you, but I think I can spoil it now because you look like you need a distraction.’ Felicity chuckled. ‘So… our friends from Central City… they’re coming over tomorrow.’

‘WHAT?’ Barry exclaimed. ‘HOW?’

‘Well, I decided to invite them over after your rant on how good Patty looked in her new Instagram photo.’ Felicity winked.

‘You what?’ Barry’s eyes went wide. ‘You invited her over? HERE?’

‘Yes, silly.’ Felicity chuckled. ‘She’s coming here, in Starling, with Caitlin, Cisco, and a colleague of hers.’

‘Who?’ Barry asked.

‘I don’t know him, he’s a police officer, I think?’ Felicity tried to remember her conversation with Caitlin. ‘But we haven’t seen them in a while, it’s been-’

‘5 months.’ Barry spoke before her.

‘Yeah,’ she laughed. ‘Anyway, they’ll be staying at a hotel, and tomorrow they’re coming to my place for dinner.’

‘You’re gonna cook???’ Barry raised his eyebrows.

‘Yeah,’ Felicity nodded. ‘At least I’ll try.’

‘Thanks for the heads up, I’ll be eating at home before coming to yours.’ Barry joked.

‘Hey!’ Felicity slapped his arm playfully. ‘I will make it right this time. I know I’m not the best cook but… I will put all my effort and love into this.’

‘Okay…’ Barry said, still not sounding convinced. 

When the elevator doors opened, Felicity pulled Barry in for a quick hug and he walked away with a small wave.

She pressed the button to the last floor and sighed.

Felicity walked out of the elevator on her floor and sneaked a glance in Oliver’s office. She saw him and Tommy laughing over something, both of them looking genuinely happy and over the little confrontation with Barry.

She sat on her chair and started looking for recipes for the upcoming dinner online, trying hard to ignore the feeling of being watched through the glass wall.

_What was even harder for her was fighting the urge to turn around and meet the eyes that have been watching her ever since her return, knowing that meeting those deep blue eyes would only bring her even more trouble._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Please comment and tell me your thoughts. If you liked it, give me a kudo ^_^  
> Next chapter is gonna have A LOT of Olicity, we're gonna meet the people from Central City, and there's gonna be some insight on Oliver's thoughts, as well.   
> See you soon.


	4. Chapter 3- I won’t let go, I’ll be your life line tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Digg talk. Felicity's friends from Central City arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Am I late? I'm sorry if I am! *puppy eyes*  
> I have some news I wanted to share with you, guys. I got accepted in Medical University ^_^ Yayy! That was one of the reasons I had less time this week, I had documents and other stuff to prepare. All is well now :D  
> Here's the new chapter! It's not beta-d, all mistakes are mine.  
> The awesome poster is by Victoria, victori96572376 on twitter <3  
> I know I said there would be jealous Oliver, but the chapter started getting long, so I decided to shorten it.We will witness Jealous Oliver next time :D  
> Happy reading! ^_^

 

The following day, Oliver was reading through some files, when there was a knock on his door. He looked up and saw Diggle grinning at him. Oliver returned the gesture and motioned him to come in.

‘Hey, man.’ He greeted.

‘Hey, John.’ Oliver smiled.

‘Where’s Felicity?’

Oliver looked to the side towards her office.

‘She left earlier.’ He said. ‘She has some friends coming here in Starling and she wants to prepare.’

‘Good for her.’ Diggle nodded his approval. ‘She needs a break.’

Oliver raised his eyebrow. ‘From…?’

‘You know,’ Digg chuckled. ‘Work. People… You.’

Oliver’s head shot up at his friend’s words. _What did that mean_? Why would she need a break from him? He hasn’t done anything to her!

_Apart from getting her to have sex with him._

Oliver sighed at the memory.

He had wanted that to happen for so long, and now that it finally had, he wished to take it back.

He didn’t regret _The_ _Thing_ itself, because _how could he_?

Felicity has always looked so good in his eyes. She had the softest and shiniest hair he’d ever seen or touched, she didn’t need all those crazy hairstyles and extensions to look so damn sexy. Her skin was so soft and smooth and the fact that he’d gotten to touch her like that was a dream come true. Everything about her left him standing in awe. And the way she had always turned him down, made him want her even more. She was the smartest and wittiest person he knew. And, _again_ , her looks didn’t hurt him either.

 _So sue him for wanting to sleep with her_ …

What he _did_ regret, however, was how it had happened. Because no matter how much he tried to tell himself that she wanted it as well, he couldn’t shake the feeling in him that he’d manipulated her. She was pressured into doing it and now things were weird between them. A chill ran down Oliver’s spine at the thought of ruining his relationship with her.

Yeah, it wasn’t exactly friendship, but it was… _something_. It was something Oliver held dear, and now the thought of losing that, made his heart clench.

Oliver relaxed a bit, trying to get rid of the unnecessary tension in his muscles. She had made it clear she was alright when they’d talked the next day. _After all it was only sex_.

‘Let me guess,’ he spoke. ‘Tommy told you.’

‘He did.’ John confessed.

‘Well,’ Oliver grinned. ‘One more thing to check on my to-do list.’

‘What have you done, man?’ John shook his head.

‘What do you mean?’ Oliver chuckled.

‘You know this can’t end well, right?’

‘Why not?’ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. ‘It was a normal one night stand, we’re both adults and can handle ourselves.’

‘This is Felicity we’re talking about.’ John spoke. ‘Your sister’s best friend, your employee, your-’

‘It’s okay John.’ Oliver interrupted him. ‘I know what we are. Just like I know what we’re not.’

‘She’s younger than you, Oliver.’ John continued.

‘So?’ Oliver chuckled. ‘I mean, people start having sex at an early age. It’s not like she was a virgin.’

Diggle blinked up at him a couple of times and let out a heavy sigh.

‘And you’re okay with this?’ he asked.

‘Of course I’m okay.’ Oliver answered. ‘I’ve wanted that for a long time, now I finally got it. It was just a matter of time, determination and patience. And you know what? Because I waited so long, it was an even sweeter victory for me. It was probably the _best_ one night stand I’ve ever had.’

Diggle pursed his lips and looked to the side.

‘You know, Oliver,’ he started again. ‘One night stands are fun. They’re good. It happens to everyone, I’m not judging you. Sometimes we need _something_ from _someone_ that others can’t give.’

Oliver nodded with narrowed eyes, wondering where this was going.

‘It’s good to have sex for just one night.’ John looked at Oliver again. ‘Passionate, wild, tiring sex. That’s some good shit. And it doesn’t matter why it happens, it just does. Whether it’s a moment of weakness, need or lust between two people. But I want you to tell me… what is that called when it’s been going on for a long time? When those lust and need for someone have been there for, _say_ … 6 years?’

Oliver rolled his eyes, knowing exactly where Dig was going.

‘Is this need towards the person’s body? Is it a physical need?’ John asked again. ‘Or is that a need for their soul and their heart? An emotional need.’

‘I’m gonna stop you right there.’ Oliver chuckled. ‘ _I don’t have a need for Felicity’s soul. Nor her heart._ ’

He tried mimicking John’s deeper voice, when he said that, but couldn’t keep a straight face and burst out laughing.

‘I’m sorry,’ he managed to say in-between. ‘But that’s just ridiculous.’

It really was a really ridiculous thought, indeed. Because John had just implied that Oliver might have feelings for Felicity. Oliver kept on laughing because _hello, ridiculous much_? He hadn’t had real feelings in so long, and when he did they never lasted for more than two months. Why should they? There are so many girls out there, why should he settle for one?

Oliver had never wanted to find a serious girlfriend, to get married and start a family. He had tried wanting that with Laurel and Samantha before and _boy_ , _did those end badly_. He had failed at making them feel special, loved, cherished and all that shit women wanted to feel. They always wanted things from him, whether physical or emotional. Things he couldn’t and didn’t want to give.

His mother was currently breathing in his neck, pushing him in that direction again, and for a second he realized how Felicity must’ve felt all these years with him doing the same to her. He just hoped he wouldn’t give in under his mother’s pressure, just like Felicity had.

He liked his life, simple with no complications. Relationships only brought unnecessary drama and _no, gracias,_ he didn’t want that.

To think he had feelings for Felicity was the funniest thing in Oliver’s head for so many reasons. Too many to name.

‘It doesn’t look that ridiculous to me.’ Digg shrugged.

‘I’m sorry.’ Oliver started. ‘You just suggested that I like Felicity. _LIKE_ like her.’

‘Yep.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Yep.’

‘Why would you think that?’ Oliver asked with a confused look on his face.

‘You’ve been running after her for 6 years, man.’ John explained.

‘You know why!’ Oliver argued.

‘Oliver, you have women throwing themselves at you all the time. You have sex almost every night.’ John continued. ‘But you never stopped wanting it from her.’

‘John, you sound like one of those women I sleep with.’ Oliver rolled his eyes. ‘All of you don’t make a difference between wanting to fuck someone and wanting to start a relationship with them. These women don’t understand that just because I want to sleep with them, doesn’t mean I want to date them… Same goes for Felicity. I wanted to fuck her, I did, now it’s time to move on.’

John Diggle was a man that never took bullshit from anyone. However, this time he just pursed his lips and nodded slowly.

‘Fine. If that’s what you want.’ He said.

‘It is.’ Oliver confirmed.

‘Okay.’ John agreed. ‘I’ll just watch this go down in flames from the side.’

Oliver narrowed his eyes, but decided to ignore his comment.

This wasn’t going to go down in flames. He and Felicity didn’t have feelings for each other and never would, so he had nothing to worry about. _This was going to be just fine_.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Felicity was sitting on her kitchen floor, on the verge of tears.

_This was a disaster..._

She stood up and looked at the _THING_ that was currently cooking itself on her hot-plate. It was supposed to be a béchamel sauce but it looked like vomit with a few pieces of undercooked white meat.

She opened the oven and yelped from the sudden hotness that burned her face, making her pull away immediately.

‘Frack!’ she exclaimed.

She took out her glasses and wiped them. When she put them back on, she looked inside the oven and winced.

‘More frack!’ she cursed again at the sight of the burnt steaks. ‘Frack, frack, frackity, frack!’

She walked to the fridge and opened it to find the Oreo ‘cake’ she’d made completely ruined and leaking from the plate. She’d put syrup to keep the cake moist and delicious, and _maybe_ she’d put too much. 

She shook her head and looked at her watch. Five hours till they arrived. Five hours till she died from embarrassment. 

_Well, goodbye, world. It was nice being in you._

Felicity sat on the floor again and sighed heavily.

She was such an idiot for thinking she would be able to cook this time. She should’ve just taken them to a restaurant.

Dang it…

If only she had booked a nice restaurant for the night. She wouldn’t have the problem she currently had, they would’ve eaten good food and they would’ve had fun. Now it was too late because all the good restaurants needed booking at least one week in advance.

If only she had someone to come over and help her cook. Or cook the whole dinner, because honestly, she was a complete nightmare in the kitchen. If only she knew someone who was great cook and-

 _Thea_ …

Her eyes widened when she remembered that Thea Queen had a maid, Raisa, who was an excellent cook. Felicity could ask Thea to talk to Raisa!

She quickly got up on her feet and ran towards her phone. She dialed Thea’s number and waited for her to pick up.

‘What is it?’ Thea whispered when she finally picked up.

‘You okay?’ Felicity asked in confusion.

‘I’m at work, there’s been an emergency.’ Thea whispered again.

‘What happened?’ Felicity asked again. ‘Can’t you talk?’

‘Not really,’ Thea said. ‘Brandon, check your upper drawer! It’s the only one that can’t be locked! … I’m sorry, Felicity, I have to be quick.’

‘Wh-What happened?’ Felicity asked worriedly.

‘Somebody broke into the agency, a guy named Ron Harter or something.’ Thea whispered. ‘He’s currently being questioned and too bad he’s a fucking thief because he could work as a model.’

‘Are you crushing on a criminal?’ Felicity chuckled.

‘You would, too, if you could see him.’ Thea whispered back. ‘He’s got such a sharp jawline that I could probably cut my finger if I touch it. And don’t get me started on his eyes… Ugh.’

‘Wasn’t this your free day?’ Felicity asked.

‘Yeah, but after this ass broke into the building we were all called as witnesses.’ Thea sighed.

‘But you weren’t even there when it happened?’ Felicity raised her eyebrow.

‘Yeah, my boss is a dick.’ Thea whispered again. ‘Anyway, what did you call for?’

‘I needed your help but-’

‘On?’

‘I need Raisa to cook for me.’ Felicity explained. ‘Don’t worry, I’m gonna pay. I just need her here to cook dinner for my friends from Central City.’

‘Oh, that was tonight?’ Thea asked. ‘Felicity, I’m so sorry, but my parents have guests over and Raisa’s cooking for them tonight.’

‘Oh.’ Felicity said, and tried to hold back the tear that was threatening to escape.

Raisa had been her only hope, and now that wasn’t an option either.

‘I would come over to help you, but I can’t leave earlier.’ Thea said with an apologetic tone. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘It’s, um, it’s okay, Thea. Thank you.’ Felicity tried to make her friend feel better. ‘Anyway, I’ll just-’

‘Wait!’ Thea exclaimed and then paused.

‘What?’

‘What do you want to cook?’ Thea asked.

‘I was making stakes, there’s a Caesar salad, but it’s kinda shitty, and there was an Oreo cake.’ Felicity shrugged.

‘Aha. Okay.’ Thea agreed. ‘You’re getting help in less than an hour.’

‘Thea,’ Felicity started. ‘You can’t leave work for me when you have bigger problems. I’ll just order pizza, it’s fine-’

‘Nonsense!’ Thea chuckled. ‘You want a fancy dinner, you’re gonna get it. Bye for now, I’ll see you soon.’

‘Thea-’ Felicity was about to argue but Thea hung up before she could.

Felicity sighed. She hoped she wouldn’t get Thea in trouble for leaving earlier.

She shot a quick text to Thea.

_Please, buy new products. I’ll pay you back._

  * _S. 4:02 p.m._



 

She got a response almost immediately.

 

_Don’t worry about anything. It’s gonna be fine._

  * _Q. 4:05 p.m._



 

Felicity smiled at herself, thinking she was the luckiest girl in the world for having a best friend like Thea Queen.

Thea had said she’d be there in less than an hour so Felicity decided that was the perfect time to shower and pick an outfit.

When she was out of the shower, she wrapped herself in her favorite yellow towel and wrapped another one on her head. She walked to her closet ready to choose her outfit for the night. Excitement was slowly starting to replace her frustration from an hour ago and she was starting to look forward to spending some time with her old friends. She was going to make Thea stay with them so that she could get to know Felicity’s old friends from college. Yes, that was a good plan.

She decided to wear her new red lace romper, she had bought a couple of days ago. It had a low V-cut and she loved it. She was going to curl her hair and put on some light makeup, half an hour before their arrival. For now, the towel would do.

She was pulled out of her musing, when she heard a knock on her door. She grinned at the thought of seeing her best friend.

Felicity almost run towards the door and eagerly opened it. _However, she was not ready to see the person who was on the other side._

She gasped when she saw Oliver leaning on the wall next to the door. Her eyes widened even more when she realized she was only wearing a freaking towel that barely covered anything. She saw his own eyes widening and getting darker and darker, as they roamed all over her body, taking in her half-naked body. She put her right hand over her chest, and her left one, on her lower lady parts, _like that would hide anything_.

‘What are you doing here?’ she breathed.

He finally looked up and their eyes met. Felicity’s breath caught when she saw the intensity in his eyes. Her tongue darted out unintentionally to wet her lips, and she saw Oliver’s eyes follow that movement. _Dang it_ …

‘I, um…’ he cleared his throat. ‘Thea said you needed someone to help you cook.’

Felicity’s eyes widened even more, when she remembered Thea’s words from earlier.

_You’re getting help in less than an hour…_

_You want a fancy dinner, you’re gonna get it…_

Dang it…

Thea _never_ said that she was coming over. She promised to get help for Felicity and she did. Felicity knew that Oliver was an excellent cook, but he had never been an option to call in this time of need. Felicity was feeling extremely frustrated by the fact that Thea had called, out of all people, _Oliver_. The person Felicity was avoiding like the plague.

‘I… I thought she was coming.’ Felicity said.

‘Didn’t she tell you she was at work?’ Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

‘She _did_ , but I thought…’ Felicity sighed. ‘Never mind.’

The two of them stood awkwardly by her door, neither knowing what to do.

‘So,’ Oliver started after a long pause. ‘Should I go, or…?’

Felicity bit her lip, wondering what to do now. Oliver was the last person she wanted to spend time with. Yes, it was inevitable in the office, but there they could keep things professional and not talk about personal things. Here, now, there was nothing professional about this situation, and frankly she didn’t want to risk spending more alone-time with Oliver.

_But she needed this dinner to be perfect…_

‘No.’ she said. ‘Please, come in.’

Oliver nodded with pursed lips and walked in. He stood by the door, just taking in her apartment.

‘Are you coming?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, yeah, I just,’ he took off his suit jacket. ‘I’ve never been here before.’

‘Oh.’ Felicity looked at him.

‘I’ve come to pick Thea up, but I’ve never been _here_.’ Oliver explained. ‘Where can I put this?’ he asked about his jacket.

‘Yeah, right. Give it to me.’

Felicity took it from his hands and walked to her room. She closed the door and pushed her back towards it. _Inhale, exhale. In, out._ She needed to get a grip. She needed to act normal.

Their relationship was completely ruined by their moment of weakness and now they couldn’t even look each other in the eye.

Felicity remembered she’d come here to put Oliver’s jacket on a hanger. She quickly did that and left the room.

Oliver was her friend, her boss, a person who’s been a constant in her life. She decided she wasn’t going to let this mistake ruin this, whatever it was, between them.

When she walked out, she saw Oliver was still standing at the same spot, where she’d left him.

‘Well, don’t just stand there.’ She smiled at him. ‘Come in.’

He smiled back at her and followed her to the kitchen.

‘So, how did you manage to leave work earlier?’ she asked.

‘Thea said it was an emergency.’ Oliver shrugged.

‘Yeah,’ Felicity chuckled. ‘Leave it to Thea to over exaggerate.’

‘She, um, she told me what you were going to cook, but I… I made some changes, I hope that’s alright?’ he asked hesitantly.

Felicity’s eyebrows shot up. _Say what? Who did that punk think he was?_ She was about to start arguing when she remembered that he was her only chance at a nice dinner. She also had to admit that the whole gesture of leaving work earlier to help her was kinda nice, so she just decided to calm down and go with it.

‘O-okay.’ She nodded. ‘What is _your_ plan?’

‘The Caesar salad is quite heavy itself and it doesn’t really go with stakes.’ Oliver started explaining. ‘Let’s not forget it’s summer and heavy foods aren’t the best option.’

Felicity pursed her lips and nodded again.

‘So, I decided we can make Greek salad, tagliatelle with chicken and mushrooms, and for desert I think fresh fruit with mascarpone cream would be great. Everything is quite light and it’s tasty, so…’

Felicity noticed him rubbing his thumb to his other fingers and narrowed her eyes slightly. He usually did that during meetings, or when he was giving a speech he was nervous about. _Was he… nervous right now_?

‘It sounds great.’ She smiled at him.

‘Yeah?’ Oliver looked up and for a second Felicity thought she saw a spark in his eyes.

‘Yeah.’ She reassured him.

‘Alright then.’ Oliver clapped his hands together. ‘Let’s get down to business.’

‘ _To defeat, the Huns._ ’ Felicity sang.

Oliver’s eyes narrowed in confusion and Felicity felt herself blushing.

‘It’s a song from Mulan.’ She started. ‘You know, the Disney movie. They say ‘ _Let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns. Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons_?’ And so on. I just… when you said that, I remembered the song and you know my brain to mouth filter doesn’t really exist and I started singing before I could stop myself. And I’m doing that again and I promise I’ll stop right now.’

Oliver bit his lower lip, as if he was trying to hold back a laughter, which was _weird_? She wasn’t that funny, and she knew people usually hated it when she babbled. Oliver, on the other hand, had always seemed amused by it. In fact, he’d often told her it turned him on. _Yeah, typical of him_.

He started taking out the products from the bag he’d carried and Felicity walked up next to him and started helping.

‘How much do I owe you, by the way?’ she asked.

‘You don’t owe me anything.’ He replied.

‘Oliver, you went through all this trouble, got the products,’ Felicity shook her head. ‘I should give you som-’

‘Fe-li-ci-ty,’ he put his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her. ‘I’m a billionaire. I could’ve bought the whole store for you, and you still wouldn’t owe me a thing.’

Felicity chuckled at that and he just grinned at her.

‘Thank you.’ She said.

‘You’re welcome.’ He smiled and continued taking the products out.

‘So,’ Felicity started again. ‘How can I help?’

‘Umm,’ Oliver looked at her with a little bit of worry written on his face. ‘No offense, but I got it handled. You can, however, put some clothes on, maybe.’

Just then Felicity remembered she was still wrapped around a _very_ short towel and yelped. She heard Oliver laughing slightly.

‘Don’t worry, Felicity. It’s not _that_ short.’

Felicity felt her cheeks burning and ran towards her room. She couldn’t believe this was happening…

When she walked up to one of her drawers, she pulled out a simple white tank top and green shorts. She put on clean underwear and got dressed. She decided to keep the towel on her head for now and finally emerged from her bedroom.

Oliver had already started slicing the veggies for the salad, when she came in the kitchen. He looked up for a second to see her, and continued.

‘Can I help?’ she asked again.

He looked at her, and she saw the uncertainty in his eyes.

‘Oh, come on,’ she rolled her eyes. ‘I can cut things.’

‘Okay then,’ Oliver chucked. ‘Can you cut the mushrooms and meat in small pieces?’

Felicity nodded, before grabbed another knife, and started doing what Oliver had asked her to do.

‘You know,’ he started. ‘I remember that time when we were in Switzerland and you made Thea watch Mulan.’

Felicity laughed. ‘I remember that, too. She had never seen it before.’

‘She sang that song for weeks after we were back.’ Oliver grinned.

‘It’s quite catchy.’ Felicity said.

The two of them started talking about different places they’ve been together, reminiscing all the good and not so good times. _It was a safe topic, at least_. They talked about that time Oliver had peed in a cop’s car, they remembered Felicity’s first fight in the beginning of her last year in high school and many, many more. They laughed or pouted at the different memories, both of them completely losing track of time.

‘I still can’t believe your parents invited me to come with you on all these vacations.’ Felicity shook her head, smiling.

‘Felicity, you’ve always been part of the family.’ Oliver spoke, not moving his attention from the food, he was preparing. ‘My parents love you. Do you know how long my mom has been trying to get me to-’

He suddenly stopped talking, and cleared his throat, piquing Felicity’s interest.

‘Trying to get you to do what?’ she asked.

‘Nothing.’ He blurted.

‘Oh, come on.’ Felicity smacked his arm slightly. ‘You can’t start saying something and then stop.’

Oliver chucked. ‘It’s not important... Really! Pass me the olive oil, please?’

Felicity sighed and did as he asked. He took it from her hands, his fingers brushed against hers, lingering there slightly. Felicity’s grip on the bottle tightened. She looked up and held back a gasp when she saw Oliver’s clear blue eyes locked with hers. His gaze was causing her mouth to go dry, while tiny shivers went down her spine. The distance between their bodies was so small and _that_ fact had her chest heaving. Images from that time when there was no distance between them at all came in her head, and she swallowed thickly. His eyes lit up, as if he’d read her thoughts, and darkened. His lips tilted upwards, forming a slight half-smile.

 _Oh, no, no, no… That won’t do_.

‘Stop looking at me like that!’ she exclaimed. ‘Stop giving me that look!’

‘What look?’ he asked, still smiling.

‘The ‘Oliver Queen’ look.’ she pulled away.

‘The… ‘Oliver Queen’ look?’ he asked with a slight laugh.

‘Yeah,’ she breathed. ‘I’ve seen you give to girls you want to hook up with. It’s not gonna work on me, so get over it… I mean, not gonna work from now on. It obviously worked _once_ , but you and I both know it’s not gonna happen again and-’

Much to Felicity’s relief, her alarm went off and interrupted her rambling.

‘Is it 7:30 already?’ Oliver asked with furrowed eyebrows.

‘Wow, time flies so fast.’ Felicity’s eyes widened. ‘I should start getting ready.’

‘Yeah, of course.’ Oliver nodded. ‘I’m almost done anyway.’

‘Alright,’ Felicity started walking towards her room.

She closed the door, and sat on her bed. _What had just happened_? _Had she… almost given in… AGAIN? This time without him urging her_?

No, she didn’t want him. This was Oliver, after all. She had been curious before, she got a taste of it, now she was completely done with _that_.

_This was Oliver! OLIVER!_

Felicity snickered at herself and rubbed her temples in frustration. That man was only good at sex and making people angry. He had been selfish and insufferable throughout the years, and he still was. Somehow, she could _never_ find it in her to stay mad for a long time and she _always_ found herself drawn back to him.

What was it about him that made her give in so quickly, she didn’t know.

She groaned and decided to let it go for now. She had less than 30 minutes to fix her hair, and get ready for the dinner.

Her hair had dried in those two hours she’d just spent with Oliver so she just had to curl it now. She opened her Spotify app on her phone and played a couple of songs, while working on her hair. When she was happy with it, she started doing her makeup. She went for a simple winged eyeliner and nude lipstick. She didn’t want to look too fake, she wasn’t like one of Oliver’s bimbos. Not that she cared about them. It was up to him, and if he liked such girls, he was free to do whatever he wanted with them.

Felicity knew that _obviously_ she was the last girl he’d slept with. It had only been two days, after all. For a second she wondered what his next girl would look like, what would her personality be and etc. Would Oliver enjoy having sex with her or not? Would he like it so much that he would want to continue being with her? Would he actually fall for her?

Felicity was pulled from her thoughts from a knocking on her door.

‘Felicity,’ Oliver’s voice came. ‘I saw Barry with some people walking in the building from the window. I assume they’re your friends.’

Her eyes widened in shock, because she was still not dressed.

‘Just a second!’ she yelled and quickly undressed the tank and shorts to change in the prepared outfit.

Just as she was trying to pull the zipper, her doorbell rang.

‘Felicity…’ she heard Oliver from the other side of the door.

‘I know, I know…’ she said, trying not to get frustrated. ‘Ugh, Oliver?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Can you come in?’ she bit her lip.

For a second she couldn’t hear him anymore and when he didn’t come, she thought he hadn’t heard her. Then, slowly, her door opened and Oliver hesitantly walked in.

‘Please, help me with the zipper.’ She pleaded. ‘I think it’s stuck and-’

‘Okay.’ He said, placing his hands on her shoulders, and turned her around.

He slowly started pulling the zipper up, his fingers cold on her hot skin. She gasped at the sensation, and he stopped.

‘Your fingers are cold.’ She explained.

‘Sorry.’ He blurted out, before continuing.

He tried not touching her, and soon she was ready.

‘Thanks.’ She said when she turned around.

‘You’ve been saying that a lot today.’ He smirked, taking a step closer to her.

‘Yeah,’ she chuckled and repeated his movement unconsciously. ‘You’ve been quite helpful today and-’

She was interrupted by the bell again.

‘You should get this.’ Oliver spoke.

‘Yeah.’ She agreed and the two of them walked out of her room.

With her peripheral vision, Felicity saw Oliver stopping a little to the side, but she didn’t have time to think about that right now. She felt excitement rush through her, because she was finally going to see all her friends from college. _Too bad Thea couldn’t make it_.

Felicity opened the door, and before she could realize what was going on, she was being squeezed in a hug, by screaming people.

‘Hiiiiii!’ she heard Caitlin’s voice in one of her ears.

‘Whaduuuppp?’ Cisco screamed in the other.

‘Owwhh,’ Felicity started laughing and squeezing them as well. ‘I’m gonna go deaf, Ramon!’

When they finally let go, they grinned widely at each other. Felicity looked up and saw Barry, Patty and a blonde guy she’d never seen before. He had gorgeous blue eyes, and a smile to die for.

‘Hey, Felicity.’ Patty greeted as well and hugged her.

‘Hi!’ Felicity wrapped her hands around the other blonde.

‘How have you been?’ Caitlin asked when Felicity pulled away from Patty.

‘I’m great!’ Felicity smiled, before looking over to the new guy. ‘Hi, I don’t think we’ve met before.’

‘No, we haven’t. I would’ve remembered you.’ he said and took a step closer, extending his hand. ‘Eddie. Eddie Thawne.’

Felicity tried holding back a giggle, as she shook his hand slightly. ‘Felicity. Smoak.’

Suddenly, there was a clearing of a throat. Felicity jumped slightly when she remembered Oliver. She turned around and saw him still standing to the side.

‘Umm,’ she took a step towards him. ‘This is my boss- Oliver Queen.’

‘Hello.’ He nodded with a small smile.

‘Hi.’ Patty and Caitlin said with a sweet voice.

Felicity pursed her lips, trying to hold back a comment she might regret later.

‘Dude,’ Cisco exclaimed. ‘I love you! Not like _love_ you. I have two of your issues for Men’s Health. Very inspiring articles. You know, I went to the gym for a whole week after reading the first one. I tried the salmon ladder once and I sprained my ankle on the-’

‘Cisco!’ Caitlin exclaimed, stopping him from rambling more.

‘What?’ he asked innocently.

‘What are you doing here, Oliver?’ Barry asked coolly.

‘He helped me with dinner.’ Felicity spoke before Oliver. She looked over at him and smiled. ‘I am really thankful for his help tonight.’

Oliver returned her smile and his eyes softened slightly. Felicity felt herself blushing, and turned away, meeting the curious looks on Caitlin, Patty and Eddie’s faces, the knowing one of Cisco and Barry’s annoyed expression.

‘Right.’ Barry said.

‘Well,’ Oliver started. ‘It was nice seeing you.’ He turned his gaze to Felicity. ‘I’m gonna head out.’

Felicity opened her mouth to say something, but didn’t know what, so she just closed it again and nodded.

‘Or,’ Caitlin started. ‘You could join us?’

Oliver quickly looked in Felicity’s direction, as if to see what she had to say about the suggestion.

‘I-I don’t know.’ He spoke. ‘I left work pretty early, so I might have to go back to catch up-’

‘Okay, thanks for dinner, bye.’ Barry interrupted.

‘Barry!’ Felicity exclaimed.

‘You can go to work on Monday.’ Eddie suggested. ‘But we’re only here for the weekend.’

‘Yes, don’t you want to get to know Felicity’s friends?’ Cisco asked with a sweet smile. ‘Me in particular. I have so many questions I want to as-’

‘Cisco!’ Caitlin stepped in again.

Oliver chuckled. ‘I don’t know. I don’t want to interfere.’ He looked up to meet Felicity’s eyes. ‘You guys haven’t seen each other for so long, and I don’t want to bother you.’

‘You won’t.’ Felicity spoke finally.

His eyes widened, but just slightly, and anybody would’ve missed it. But not Felicity. She knew Oliver better than she cared to admit to anyone else _, or even herself_.

‘You can stay.’ She shrugged.

Oliver’s eyes travelled from person to person, and it was clear that everyone, except for Barry, wanted him to stay. He straightened up and smiled.

‘Okay then, work can wait till Monday.’ He spoke.

‘Work can wait till Monday.’ Eddie repeated.

For some reason, Felicity felt pride and happiness knowing that her friends liked him. Her gaze fell on Barry for a second and she saw his eyes on her already.

‘ _We need to talk._ ’ He mouthed to her.

‘ _Later_.’ She mouthed back.

‘Well,’ Felicity spoke up. ‘Anybody hungry?’

‘Me!’ everyone yelled at the same time.

Everybody started laughing and together they walked into her dining room.

Just as Felicity was about to follow them, she felt a hand grab her elbow gently. She turned around and saw Oliver looking at her with a serious expression on his face.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.

‘You said I could stay, but I will understand if you only said it for your friends.’ He spoke. ‘If you don’t want me here, I can say an emergency came up at work, or that Thea had trouble with-’

‘Hey,’ Felicity interrupted him and took his hand in hers. ‘I didn’t say it for them.’

‘Oh.’ was all Oliver said. ‘That’s… That’s good.’

‘Yeah.’ She chuckled. ‘I mean… I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for helping me but… Thank you.’

‘You never,’ Oliver stared down at her. ‘ _Never_ have to thank me.’

Felicity smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

She was once again proven right that there were two sides to him- the one for the public, the stupid bratty playboy that lived for scandals, and _this_ one that was kind, and helpful, and genuinely cared for others.

She just couldn’t understand why most of the time he preferred the former.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bahahaha *evil laugh* Sorry for the last pic, I had some free time and messed with Paint. (Yes, Paint. I can't work with Photoshop which you can probably already tell :D ). I hope the Justice we can't run from, won't come for me after this pic. :D  
> Aaaanyway, I hope you liked this chapter. ^_^ If you did, please give me a kudo. You can also leave me comments saying what you thought.  
> Bye for now, see you soon ^_^


	5. Chapter 4- She drives me crazy like no one else, she drives me crazy, I can't help myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, loves! ^_^  
> Hope you're all good and sorry I'm late with updating.  
> Here's the new chapter, woohoo! The ending is funny so... I think you'll like it (I hope)...  
> I always forget to mention that the title for this fic is from a song called 'Accidentally in Love'. If you haven't heard it, you should totally do it. It's very cute and fluffy. ^_^  
> The poster is made by the amazing Victoria. Go check her out on twitter: victori96572376 <3  
> This isn't beta-d, all mistakes are mine. I 'edited' at 4 a.m. so forgive me if there are lots of errors.  
> That being said... happy reading ^_^

 

‘And then Barry went up to him and punched him!’ Eddie was talking animatedly.

‘No waaay!’ Cisco and Caitlin exclaimed.

Felicity, Oliver and Patty were holding their breaths to hear the end of the story.

‘He did!’ Eddie laughed. ‘Ended up in the hospital with a broken wrist. He stayed there for two weeks.’

Everyone burst out laughing, while Barry just shook his head.

‘We all make mistakes when we’re drunk, c’mon.’ he tried defending himself.

‘You’re the cutest, Barry.’ Patty patted him on the back. ‘Never change.’

Felicity smirked when she saw the slight blush on Barry’s cheeks. He was crushing on Patty, and he was crushing _HARD_.

‘The food is Ah-mazing.’ Caitlin moaned a bit louder and everyone started laughing. ‘Sorry.’ She blushed. ‘I can’t help myself.’

‘I agree.’ Patty smiled. ‘I swear to God, this is the best food I’ve ever tasted.’

‘Well, thank you.’ Oliver smirked.

‘Wow,’ Barry muttered under his breath. ‘You probably don’t go out much if that’s the best food you’ve eaten.’

Felicity shot him a look, to which Barry rolled his eyes and took a bite of his tagliatelle. Felicity continued staring at him with a stern look, while Oliver was explaining how he cooked.

‘Wow,’ Cisco exclaimed. ‘You’re handsome, rich, you can cook. You’re basically the perfect man… Not that I’m hitting on you, I’m into chicks.’

‘So how long have you, guys, been together?’ Patty asked, looking between Oliver and Felicity.

‘Who?’ Oliver’s eyebrows furrowed.

‘You and Felicity.’ Eddie spoke.

Oliver’s jaw dropped, while Barry just snorted.

‘Oh!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Yeah, no! We’re not… together, _Together_. I mean, we’re here together in the room, but we’re all here together and we’re not together, him and I, I mean. We’re together here, but not together in that way. We’re only together at work, we don’t meet up after work, we both go home. I mean, he goes to his home, and I go to mine.’

‘Did somebody count how many times she said the word ‘together’?’ Cisco asked the group.

Felicity’s eyes met Oliver’s who was just as shocked as her. His eyes were wide, and filled with fear, and his mouth was hanging open. Okay, so they weren’t together, but _was he really this repulsed at the mere thought? Was she this unappealing to him_? She tried to push down the bitter feeling this whole situation left in her. She quickly shifted her gaze, because she didn’t want to feel any more uncomfortable. _Well,_ good thing he didn’t see her as more, because she couldn’t see him that way, either. Yep. Oliver Queen was terrible and he would be the worst boyfriend ever. Actually, she should be relieved he didn’t want to date her, because it would probably be really hard to try to get rid of him if he wanted to woo her.

‘Patty, that was a ridiculous suggestion.’ Barry butt in. ‘Oliver is Felicity’s BOSS and he’s 5 years her senior.’

‘Well, it’s not uncommon for co-workers to fall for one another.’ Patty blushed.

‘Yeah.’ Caitlin nodded. ‘And age is just a number.’

‘And jail is just a room.’ Barry took a sip of his wine.

‘So you don’t have a boyfriend?’ Eddie smiled up at her.

‘No, not right now.’ Felicity blushed slightly. From the corner of her eye, she saw Oliver cutting his tagliatelle rather violently. ‘You okay?’ she turned around to ask him.

‘Me?’ Oliver looked up. ‘Yeah, fine.’

‘You want another knife?’ Felicity asked cautiously.

‘No, why would you think that?’ Oliver sounded almost offended. ‘I told you I’m fine.’

Just as Felicity was about to push, Eddie’s voice stopped her.

‘I don’t have a girlfriend right now, too.’

She met his eyes from across the table. He had beautiful blue eyes, and a smile that almost made her heart melt. He had this look on his face that calmed her in an unfamiliar way.

‘That’s… good to know.’ She answered with a wide smile.

‘Seriously,’ Cisco’s voice rose. ‘If you had this amount of money, what would you do? He’s just bored and decided to run for President.’

‘People don’t run for president if they’re bored.’ Caitlin spoke.

‘So what? You support this Orange?’ Cisco narrowed his eyes in disgust.

‘What are you talking about out there?’ Barry asked with a curious look on his face.

‘Cisco thinks I’m voting for Trump.’ Caitlin rolled her eyes. ‘Which I’m not, I don’t even know how you got this idea.’

‘You said-’

‘I _only_ said that there are plenty of rich people that _don’t_ want to be Presidents.’ Caitlin explained.

‘I don’t think politics is a good topic for when we’re drunk.’ Patty chuckled.

Cisco and Caitlin both calmed down and stood quiet for a second.

‘Seriously, though,’ Cisco started. ‘If I were a millionaire, I’d candidate too. I believe I can make a change.’

‘The wine’s getting to him.’ Eddie chuckled.

‘No, really.’ Cisco said, before yawning. ‘What would you do if you had a million dollars?’

 ‘I’d produce a Hollywood block-buster.’ Barry grinned, making everyone chuckle. ‘Probably about a guy that can run fast.’

‘Why?’ Eddie asked.

‘I don’t really know.’ Barry laughed. ‘I’ve always liked speed.’

‘That doesn’t explain why you’re always late.’ Felicity teased him.

‘I’d invest a great amount of money for research. To cure cancer.’ Caitlin said, and everyone smiled.

‘I don’t really know.’ Eddie spoke after a few silent moments. ‘I don’t think I want so much money. I wouldn’t know what to do with it.’

‘I’d build a hotel.’ Patty said.

‘What?’ everyone exclaimed.

‘I’ve always wanted to run a hotel.’ Patty blushed. ‘Not that I don’t like being a detective, I’d still work in the Police even if I owned a hotel. It would just be something on the side.’

‘That’s really nice.’ Felicity beamed. ‘I think I’d travel the world.’

‘Yeah.’ Barry spoke. ‘That sounds cool. Will you take me with you?’

‘I’d take you anywhere, Bear.’ Felicity pulled him in for a quick hug.

When she looked up she saw Oliver looking down at his glass of scotch, deep in thoughts.

‘What about you, Oliver?’ she asked. ‘What would you do?’

Oliver just chuckled slightly. ‘Well, I already have a million dollars, so I guess I’ll just do the same as I’m doing now.’

‘Okay,’ Felicity decided to push. ‘What about one hundred million dollars?’

Oliver just stared at her with a grin on his face. Felicity’s eyes widened, _because holy shit_ , the fact that he was silent showed her that he, indeed, had one hundred million dollars.

‘One billion?’ she asked again. When Oliver stood silent again, she just exclaimed. ‘Oh, come on!’

Oliver started laughing. ‘Well, I think it’s time for dessert.’

‘I’ll go get it.’ Felicity pointed towards the kitchen.

‘I’ll come with you.’ Oliver stood up.

Felicity turned around and saw Barry putting his hand on Oliver’s shoulder to stop him.

‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re a guest, as well. Let me.’

Felicity shifted her gaze from Oliver to Barry, both of them clearly having a hard time even looking at each other.

‘Alright.’ Oliver gritted his teeth.

Felicity grabbed Barry by the hand and dragged him in the kitchen. Closing the door behind them, she glared angrily at Barry.

‘What?’ he asked innocently.

‘What?’ she raised her eyebrows. ‘You’re asking me _‘What?’_?’

Barry just shrugged, making Felicity let out a humorless chuckle.

‘You’re killing me, Barry Allen.’ She shook her head. ‘You’re. Killing. Me.’

‘What did I do?’ he asked again.

‘You’ve been side-eyeing me the whole night and you’ve been sending death glares in Oliver’s direction.’

Barry rolled his eyes and looked to the side, avoiding her.

‘What is wrong with you, Barry?’ Felicity asked him in a whisper, so that the people in the other room wouldn’t hear.

‘What’s wrong with _you_?’ Barry asked back. ‘How could you call _him_ out of all people?’

‘I didn’t. Thea did.’

Barry snorted. ‘Of course. Of course she did. How typical of her.’

‘Look, Barry, I needed help with the food.’ Felicity explained. ‘I called Thea to ask for Raisa. Thea said she couldn’t come and that she’d help me. I thought she was going to come, but she sent Oliver.’

‘Right.’ Barry said sarcastically. ‘How many times did he ask you to have sex with him meanwhile?’

‘Barry!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Stop bringing it up! It happened just once and we’re both over it.’

‘Really?’ Barry asked with an annoyed look.

‘Yes, really.’ Felicity said.

‘Felicity,’ Barry spoke in a low voice. ‘I’m just worried for you and your feelings. I don’t want you to get hurt.’

‘My feelings are fine, Barry.’ Felicity sighed.

‘Have you ever noticed how you seem to have a soft spot for Oliver Queen?’ Barry challenged. ‘Because I have.’

‘I don’t have a soft spot for him.’ Felicity argued.

‘Yes, you do!’ Barry exclaimed in a whisper. ‘He does the stupidest shit and you still defend him. He always has you in his corner and it’s just so frustrating to watch from the side.’

‘What do you mean?’ Felicity asked in confusion.

She felt that this conversation wouldn’t end well, and now was probably not the best time to have it, but Barry seemed way too angry to continue dinner calmly.

‘Felicity, you look like his little toy that he owns.’ Barry started. ‘He says ‘Jump’, you ask ‘How high?’.’

‘That’s not true!’ Felicity said, already starting to feel offended.

‘Yes, it is.’ Barry pushed. ‘He peed in a cop’s car and you were all ‘Oh, he was drunk, he made a bet with his friends’.’

‘Because it was true!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Oliver told me-’

‘Yeah, you believe everything he says.’ Barry rolled his eyes.

‘Barry… Oliver may be many, many things, but he’s not a liar.’ Felicity said.

‘What about that time he lied to Moira and Robert that he was sick, so that he wouldn’t go on that business trip to Vancouver?’ Barry raised his brow. ‘Instead, he went to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and hooked up with two of the models. TWO!’

‘He lied to his family yes, but he told _me_ the truth.’ Felicity confessed. ‘And don’t act like such a saint, Barry. If Behati Prinsloo and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley offered themselves to you, you wouldn’t have sent them away, either, now would you?’

Barry blushed slightly and cleared his throat. ‘You remember when we all found out he had been cheating on Laurel? Everyone was pissed with him, even Thea. And no, not because we liked Laurel, because you know we don’t, but because we all realized what a dick move he’d made. And you… You tried defending him! In front of Quentin!’

Felicity felt her cheeks turning redder. ‘Well, who could blame him? Laurel wasn’t the best girlfriend, either. She was so possessive, and she argued over little things. She fought with him over things that had happened before he even started dating her!’

‘This is exactly what I’m talking about.’ Barry grabbed her shoulders. ‘You defend him. All. The fucking. Time… Felicity, listen to me. You probably have feelings for him, and you don’t even realize it yet, but it’s-’

‘Do you hear yourself?’ Felicity pushed him away. ‘Stop saying that! I don’t have feelings for him!’

‘You do, even though you shouldn’t-’

‘Stop!’ she exclaimed. ‘Stop trying to be everyone’s hero, Barry. I don’t need a hero, I’m not some damsel in distress for you to save! I can look after myself, and I sure as hell can handle this situation with him!’

‘Felicity-’

‘No!’ she shook her head. ‘I’m done with this discussion. I know you can’t stand him, and that probably ruined your mood. You know what? Congratulations, Barry. If your plan was to make me feel like shit too, you did it. Now I feel just as bad as you do.’

Felicity tried holding back the angry tears, as she took out the dessert from the fridge. She didn’t want the others to see that she and Barry had argued so she tried to smile.

‘Felicity, hey.’ Barry spoke softly. ‘I’m sorry-’

‘Barry, I’ve done enough damage tonight.’ she said coolly. ‘You can leave the rest of your accusations for another time. I’m already upset, so-’

‘I didn’t mean to-’

‘I’m sure you didn’t.’ Felicity gave a tight smile. ‘I just want you to realize one thing- in your attempts to protect me from him, you’re the one who’s hurting me.’

She walked out of the kitchen, holding 3 bowls in her hands, leaving Barry behind. Everyone was still at the table, talking animatedly about something, except for Oliver who was typing something on his phone with a worried expression on his face.

Felicity put the bowls at the table and sat down next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

‘Everything alright?’ she asked.

Oliver looked at her with tired and worried eyes. ‘Yeah, just… My parents had guests over at the Mansion, and… two of them got in a fight.’

‘Oh, wow.’ Felicity raised her brows.

‘Yeah, now there’s chaos and shouting and Mom is on the verge of tears. Apparently, the deal she and dad were planning on making is off.’ He shook his head and sighed heavily. ‘I’m gonna go.’

He stood up, making all head turn towards him. At the same time, Barry walked out of the kitchen with the rest of the desserts and placed them on the table next to the others.

‘I’m gonna go now.’ Oliver announced. ‘It was great meeting you all.’

‘So soon?’ Cisco asked.

‘Yeah, there’s been an emergency in my house.’ Oliver pursed his lips. ‘There was a fight.’

‘Is Thea okay?’ Barry asked with a worried voice.

‘Yeah, she is. Don’t worry.’ Oliver spoke. ‘Anyway, hope you enjoy your stay in Starling.’

‘We will.’ Eddie said, and Felicity saw him looking at her. She tried not to blush at that.

‘See you around, man.’ Cisco shook his hand. ‘It was nice meeting you.’

‘You too.’ Oliver smiled. ‘Goodbye.’

‘Bye!’

‘Bye, Oliver!’

Felicity followed him to her hall.

‘Well,’ he turned around to look at her. ‘That was nice.’

‘Yeah.’ she smiled.

‘Thanks for letting me stay.’ He spoke.

‘Thanks for cooking for me.’ She grinned wider, making him chuckle.

‘Anytime.’ He opened the door. ‘See you soon, Felicity. Have a great weekend with your friends.’

‘Thank you.’ She waved at him, watching his back as he walked out and left her apartment.

When she could no longer see him, she sighed against the door and closed it. She turned around and yelped when she saw Barry behind her.

‘Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.’ He raised his hands.

‘What do you want?’ she asked with a sigh.

‘To apologize.’ He spoke. ‘I was wrong. About everything. I realized my words were hurting you, so I want to apologize for that. I still dislike that guy, but I’m not going to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong anymore. What happens with the two of you is between you. It’s not my business. I’m sorry, Felicity. For my words, for my actions, for everything… I hate it when we fight, so please accept my apologies.’

Felicity looked at his face, the regret visible in his expression. She could see he was truly sorry. He was her friend and he wanted the best for her.

‘I hate it when we fight too.’ She admitted.

Barry’s eyes lit up, making her smile. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. Soon his arms enveloped her in a tight hug as well, and they held each other close for a while.

‘You know,’ Barry soon broke the silence. ‘As much as I hate this guy, I gotta admit he’s an excellent cook.’

Felicity chuckled at that and slowly let go of a grinning Barry.

‘I mean,’ he continued. ‘That dessert… _Damn_.’

The two of them laughed and walked back to their friends. After a couple of hours, at 3:02 a.m. the group finally decided it was time to go home. Felicity suggested driving back to their hotel, but they declined because she had been drinking. Felicity argued that she was completely sober now and that there it was no problem for her to drive. After a couple of minutes of arguing, they were all in Felicity’s car. Once again, she was glad she had changed the Mini Cooper for this Audi. Much to Barry’s pleasure, Patty had to sit in his lap in the back, while Eddie sat in the passenger’s seat next to Felicity.

They started driving, while talking and laughing. Half an hour later Felicity dropped her guests at their hotel. Everyone got out of the car and started saying their goodbyes. When it was Felicity’s turn to say goodbye to Eddie, she tried not to blush, but probably failed at that. He chuckled and pulled her in for a quick hug.

‘Felicity, listen.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I know this is weird and all, but… would you like to go out with me tomorrow?’

‘Um…’ Felicity bit her lip. ‘Aren’t we all going out tomorrow?’

‘Well, I know that Patty and Barry are going to LA for the day.’ Eddie spoke. ‘Cisco and Caitlin want to go to visit the Starling branch of Star Labs. And… I’m not interested in that stuff, you know.’

‘Oh…’ Felicity exclaimed.

‘We could go for a walk first and then grab dinner?’ Eddie suggested.

‘Umm…’ Felicity hesitated.

She hadn’t been on a date in a while, because she was either too busy or the guy asking just wasn’t her type. However, right now, she wasn’t that busy at work and the guy was definitely _something_. He was smiling with that million dollar smile, and those clear blue eyes gazing at her. Yeah, looking at Eddie made her realize she’d love to give it a try.

‘I’d love to go out with you, Eddie.’ She smiled up at him.

‘That’s great!’ he exclaimed.

‘I’ll come by around 4 p.m., is that okay with you?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, that’s fine.’ He nodded. ‘I can’t wait!’

‘Me too.’ Felicity smiled at him again.

Slowly, Patty, Eddie, Caitlin and Cisco walked in their hotel and Barry sat next to Felicity in the front.

‘It was fun.’ Barry grinned at her, as she started driving.

‘It was.’ Felicity agreed.

‘So…’ Barry turned towards her. ‘You and Eddie…’

‘We’ll see.’ She blushed. ‘We’ll go out tomorrow and-’

‘Do you like him?’ Barry asked.

‘Yeah, I guess.’ Felicity shrugged.

‘You guess?’ Barry asked suspiciously.

‘I don’t know yet.’ Felicity sighed. ‘He’s funny and smart, and handsome as hell.’

‘So what’s stopping you from liking him?’

‘I… I don’t know.’ She confessed.

‘I think I know.’ Barry muttered under his breath.

Felicity pursed her lips, trying to hold back a comment. She turned on the radio instead. They made small talk throughout the whole ride back to Barry’s place. When she reached his building, they hugged each other, said their goodbyes and Felicity left.

She was driving in silence, just thinking about the night in general. She’d had so much fun seeing her old friends, and meeting Eddie. He seemed like a wonderful young man, and she could tell he thought nice things about her too. Maybe he even liked her. However, there was something in Felicity that stopped her from falling for him… Her mind drifted to the hours she’d spent with Oliver this afternoon and all the memories they shared in the past. She realized that Oliver was with her during some of the most important events in her life. He was there when she was graduating, he was with her when she had her first driving lesson, he had been her first kiss… Oliver had been a constant in her life, and while different people came and go, there was always a place in her heart for him. Why, she didn’t know.

Felicity shook her head to get rid of those thoughts about Oliver. She took her phone in her hand and started scrolling through the songs, looking at the quiet and empty road from time to time. As she was looking at the screen, suddenly there was a loud bark, making her jump. She saw a dog standing right in front of her car. Felicity yelped and in an attempt not to hit the poor animal, she made an abrupt turn left and then right, successfully avoiding the dog and going around it. She let out a relieved sigh and shook her head.

Suddenly, she heard sirens behind her. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw a police car driving after her.

‘Frack!’ she exclaimed.

She bit her lips and pulled over as soon as she could. She stopped the car and nervously waited, watching in her mirror as the police officer approached her. When he stood next to her door, she opened her window and smiled nervously at him. He pointed his flashlight in her direction, making her wince and slightly close her eyes.

‘Good evening, officer.’ She greeted.

‘It’s 4 in the morning, Miss.’ He snorted.

‘Well, then… Good morning.’ Felicity corrected herself.

The man kept his gaze on her, making her more worried by the second. He had dark hair, and sharp features, making him look like that one professor at college that people secretly called ‘Voldemort’. He wasn’t too slim, but he wasn’t fat as well and had broad shoulders.

‘Miss, may I see your driver’s license?’ he requested.

‘Um, sure, just a second.’ Felicity took out her wallet to find the document. When she did, she gave it to him, trying not to show her nervousness.

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Miss Smoak, I saw you making a very sudden maneuver with a high speed.’

‘You-You don’t understand.’ She argued. ‘There was a dog on my way.’

‘Didn’t you see it from a distance?’ he pushed.

Felicity blushed, remembering that she wasn’t paying attention to the road at that time, lost in thoughts, and scrolling through her playlist.

‘It, um… It jumped suddenly.’ She lied.

‘Aha…’ the officer raised his brow. ‘And about the speed?’

‘Sir, I wasn’t driving _that_ fast.’ Felicity sighed.

‘Miss Smoak, I want you to come out of the car and walk a straight line.’ He said.

‘What?’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘I… Officer, is it necessary? I’m really tired, I just want to go back home-’

‘Out of the car, Miss. Now!’ the cop yelled at her.

Felicity shivered, and prayed to God that the alcohol was out of her system, and that her fatigue wouldn’t take over, and cause her to screw up. She walked out of the car and found the line splitting the road. She looked up towards the cop, and saw him looking at her expectantly. Felicity swallowed thickly and started walking slowly, trying to keep a straight line. Suddenly, she tripped on her foot and faltered. Good news- she managed to catch herself before falling down. Bad news- the officer behind her let out a chuckle and started walking towards her.

‘That’s enough, Miss Smoak.’ He spoke and started writing something in his notebook. ‘I got all the answers I need.’

‘Wait!’ Felicity pleaded. ‘No, please! I’m not drunk, I swear.’

‘Sure you’re not.’ The officer said sarcastically.

‘I really am not.’ Felicity argued. ‘I did drink, yeah, okay. But that was, like, hours ago. I’m sober now.’

‘Don’t make me get the Breathalyzer!’ the cop threatened. ‘You, young lady, are driving above the speed limit and under the influence.’

_No, no, no… That couldn’t be good._

‘I gotta take your driving’s license for a month.’ He told her. ‘And a 500 dollars fine.’

He wrote it down and gave it to Felicity, who was just staring at him, dropped jaw, wide eyes.

‘Oh, my God.’ She exclaimed. ‘I have never been even pulled over in my 5 years as a driver and now you… you’re taking my license?’

‘Yep.’

‘No, no, no, please, don’t do this.’ Felicity pleaded.

‘Miss, I’m taking it for a month just because you didn’t cause an accident or something. Otherwise, it would’ve been 4 months or worse- you could’ve gone to jail.’ He explained.

Felicity swallowed hard, fighting back her tears.

‘Where do you live?’ he asked.

‘Two blocks away.’ Felicity muttered.

‘Good.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll follow you back home, and then I’ll take your license. You can come to the station in a month.’

Felicity sighed and got in her car. She drove extra slowly, making sure that the police car was right behind her. When she parked, the cop took her license, and explained how she was lucky she hadn’t caused an accident and how she could last one month without driving.

Felicity got back to her apartment and fell asleep almost immediately, not wanting to spend another moment awake…

She was woken up by the ringing of her phone at exactly 11:46. She saw Thea’s grin on her screen and picked up.

‘Hi.’ Felicity mumbled.

‘Heeelloo!’ Thea said in a sing-song manner. ‘How’s your day going?’

‘Um…’ Felicity rubbed her eyes. ‘I was still sleeping.’

‘You were sleeping?’ Thea asked incredulously. ‘You usually wake up at about 9 on Saturdays!’

‘I went to bed later than usual.’ Felicity lied on her stomach.

‘How’d it go?’ Thea asked. ‘The dinner, I mean.’

‘It was great.’ Felicity said. ‘ _Your brother_ is an excellent cook, by the way.’       

 ‘Yeah, about that-’ Thea started.

‘What were you thinking, Thea?’ Felicity asked.

‘I thought you might need some time alone to smooth things out.’ Thea explained. ‘Plus, I couldn’t come-’

‘Barry almost started a fight a thousand times.’ Felicity interrupted her. ‘I had a fight with Barry over Oliver, Thea. They couldn’t stop staring angrily at each other. Thank God for the others that were around, otherwise they might-’

‘Oh, come on, Felicity, they’re smarter than that.’ Thea sighed. ‘Oliver wouldn’t fight Barry because he’s my friend and Barry wouldn’t fight Oliver because he knows he has no chance against him.’

Felicity slightly chuckled at that.

‘Other than that,’ Thea started again. ‘How was dinner?’

‘It was fun.’ Felicity answered. ‘Seeing my old friends and all.’

‘What happened with Barry and that Patty girl?’ Thea asked.

‘Well, they’re going to LA today.’ Felicity grinned.

‘Oh, yeah!’ Thea chuckled. ‘Now I’ll have something to tease him about.’

‘Yeah.’ Felicity laughed.

‘So, you’re going to spend the day with the others?’ Thea asked.

‘Well, not exactly.’ Felicity blushed. ‘Two of them are going to check out Star Labs and I will go out with this Eddie guy that came with them.’

‘Oooooh, is he cute?’ Thea beamed.

‘Yeah, very.’ Felicity grinned. 

‘We should go shopping! Get you something nice for the date.’ Thea suggested.

‘Thea, we went shopping a couple of days ago.’ Felicity reminded her. ‘Plus, I don’t really know if it’s a date.’

‘Well, do you want it to be?’ Thea asked.

‘I-I don’t know.’

‘You’re confusing me, Felicity.’ Thea said. ‘You haven’t had a boyfriend in a long time, and now that you can have one, you’re not sure you want him?’

‘Thea, please. I don’t know.’ Felicity sighed. ‘Fine. We’ll go shopping.’

‘Okay, then.’ Thea exclaimed. ‘Let’s meet at the mall at 1 p.m.’

 ‘I don’t know if I can make it since I’ll have to take a bus or something.’ Felicity shook her head slightly. ‘I was stopped by the police and they took my driver’s license.’

‘What?’ Thea asked. ‘Why?’

‘Well, I was driving a little too fast, and then I stumbled, and he thought I was drunk and…’ Felicity sighed. ‘Yeah, that’s basically it.’

‘Well then,’ Thea started. ‘Get dressed, I’ll ask someone to come pick you up and then you can come.’

‘Who are you going to send over?’ Felicity asked.

‘I’ll see which one of mom’s bodyguard’s is available.’ Thea answered. ‘I hope Matthew’s free.’

Felicity chuckled, remembering the beautiful and dark-haired, 6-foot-tall blue-eyed Mathew. ‘Yeah, I hope so, too.’

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Oliver wiped his sweat on the dark blue shirt and took a sip of his water. He had been jogging for 20 minutes in the Queen Mansion’s little park and now he was going to take a shower and enjoy the afternoon watching old volleyball games.

He walked in the Mansion, and immediately heard Thea and his mother arguing.

‘Please, mom.’ Thea was pleading. ‘Why don’t you let him come with us?’

‘Absolutely not!’ Moira refused. ‘Last time Matthew was with you, he came back here white as a sheet. I don’t know what you two, girls, did to him but-’

‘We didn’t do anything.’ Thea argued then stood silent for a second. ‘Okay… Maybe we asked him to show us his abs, and I might have pretended to faint so that he could do mouth-to-mouth-’

Oliver winced and went upstairs to his room, having heard enough. He stepped in the shower and when he was done, he wrapped a towel around his lower body. He stood in front of his mirror just looking at his reflection, when there was a knock on his door. He walked up to it and when he opened it, he saw Thea making her infamous puppy eyes.

He rolled his eyes. ‘What do you want?’

‘Nothing,’ Thea said innocently. ‘I just came by to see my big brother, can’t I do that?’

Oliver raised his eyebrows, showing her that he wasn’t buying it.

Thea sighed. ‘Am I that obvious?’

‘Yep.’ Oliver nodded.

‘Okay then, straight to the question.’ Thea started. ‘I need you to pick Felicity up and drive her to the mall.’

‘Why can’t she drive on her own?’ Oliver questioned.

‘They took her driver’s license last night.’ Thea shrugged.

‘And why don’t you go and take her?’ Oliver pushed.

‘Because we’re seeing each other at 1 p.m. and I have some other things to do before I meet her, so I won’t be able to take her earlier.’

‘So you’re asking me to help her? Again?’ Oliver asked. ‘That’s a second time in less than 24 hours, Thea.’

‘Oh, come on, it’s not like you hate it.’ Thea crossed her arms. ‘Don’t tell me you’re not having fun with her.’

‘I’m not saying that.’ Oliver smiled. ‘I just… things have been a bit… awkward lately and-’

‘You mean after you slept together.’ Thea said.

Oliver’s eyes widened in shock. _Had Felicity told his little sister_ _that_?

‘I heard you talking to Tommy.’ Thea answered his question for him.

‘Thea, it’s-’

‘I know, I know.’ She nodded. ‘It was just a one-time thing.’

Oliver pursed his lips, when he remembered the previous night when one of Felicity’s friends had though they were a couple. He had to admit it was a pretty strange assumption, but definitely one that got him thinking.

He had spent the entire afternoon cooking and joking around with Felicity and then he’d had dinner with her friends and it had actually been really fun. He knew that was what people usually did while being in a relationship, but when he’d done things like that before with Laurel and Samantha it had been a nightmare. They had been putting too much pressure on him with having everything perfect, while Felicity didn’t argue about always having it her way.

_Ugh, why couldn’t relationships be easy like that?_

‘So?’ Thea’s voice pulled him out of his musing.

Oliver looked down at his baby sister and how hopeful she seemed.

‘Fine.’ He sighed.

‘Yayy!’ Thea jumped on his neck and squeezed him in a hug, making him chuckle. ‘Best brother ever!’

‘Yeah, remember than next time you’re mad at me for something’ Oliver told her. ‘What time should I pick her up?’

‘Well, we’re meeting at 1p.m. so… you do the math.’ Thea winked and headed to the door. ‘See you later!’

Oliver started getting dressed and when he was done he looked at the time. It was 12:14 and if he left now, he was hoping to get to Felicity’s apartment in time.

He walked out and got in his Porsche. He started driving towards Felicity’s place and when he reached her building he saw her waiting already. She was wearing a yellow sundress and oversized glasses. Her hair was curled and for the thousandth time in his life Oliver’s breath hitched at the sight of her. She was with no doubt the prettiest girl he knew, and she didn’t even try hard.

When he stopped in front of her, he walked out of the car and grinned at her. Much to his surprise, she was staring at him with her mouth open. She slid the glasses lower on her nose and he saw how her eyebrows were raised in question.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked.

‘I feel like I’m getting a déjà vu.’ He smirked at her. ‘You asked me the same thing yesterday.’

‘Because I never expect to see you here.’ She answered.

‘Thea asked me to come pick you up.’ Oliver told her.

‘What about Matthew?’ Felicity asked again.

Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. ‘What? Mom’s bodyguard? … What do you need him for?’

‘Well, apart from the fact that he’s hot, he was going to drive me to the mall.’ Felicity said.

‘Yeah, well, my apologies,’ Oliver rolled his eyes. ‘But you get me. Now, if you want I can leave and you can look for another person to drive you-’

‘No.’ she interrupted him. ‘I wasn’t expecting you. That’s all.’

Oliver saw her biting her lip nervously, and _God help him,_ if she didn’t stop he’d take her right there. It was so shocking to him, because usually, once he slept with a woman he just didn’t feel _that_ attracted to her anymore. He thought it’d be the same with Felicity, but seeing her right now, he realized that his hunger for her was still very much present. He couldn’t tell her though. Their relationship was fragile enough right now, no need for extra drama.

‘Well,’ he cleared his throat. ‘Let’s go then. We don’t want Thea whining about us being late.’

‘No, we don’t.’ Felicity hopped in the passenger’s seat. ‘Not that you’re not used to being late.’

Oliver chuckled at her teasing and saw her grinning at him. He started the car and drove past her building.

‘Why can’t you drive?’ he asked her.

‘I was stopped by the police last night.’ She sighed. ‘There was a dog on the road and I made an abrupt turn. I was driving too fast and the cop thought that I was drunk.’

‘Were you?’ Oliver asked. ‘I mean, you did have a few drinks.’

‘I wasn’t drunk.’ Felicity said. ‘Well, not too drunk at least. I was sober enough to drive.’

‘Just so you know,’ Oliver started. ‘If I was there, I wouldn’t have let you drive.’

‘Yeah, now that I think about it,’ Felicity sighed. ‘I could’ve hurt somebody.’

‘I don’t care about the others, Felicity.’ Oliver said. ‘What matters is that you could’ve hurt yourself.’

Oliver couldn’t stop himself on time and said it. He bit his tongue and focused on the road again. He didn’t want to make things awkward, yet, somehow, he always did it.

‘Maybe I should’ve just peed in the cop’s car.’ Felicity joked and made Oliver laugh. ‘Maybe he wouldn’t have taken my driver’s license then.’

‘Yeah, maybe.’ Oliver grinned. ‘Anyway, what are you girls going to do now?’

‘Shopping.’ Felicity answered.

‘Didn’t you go shopping, like, 4 days ago?’

‘Yeah.’ Felicity nodded. ‘But Thea said I needed something for the date and I just-’

‘Wh-What date?’ Oliver furrowed his brows in confusion.

‘Oh,’ Felicity exclaimed and Oliver saw her biting her lower lip. ‘I, um… I’m going out with Eddie later.’

Oliver felt his smile dropping. She had _a date_? A date… Huh. Interesting…

He felt a weird sting in his chest area, one he’d never felt before and he couldn’t explain or describe it and the cause for it. Was it some side effect from the alcohol he’d drunk the previous night? But, he hadn’t even drunk too much!

 _What was this terrible feeling and how could he make it stop_?

‘You okay?’ he heard Felicity asking.

‘Yeah. Fine.’ He muttered. ‘Why’d you ask?’

‘Well,’ she started. ‘You’re wincing pretty hard as if somebody punched you.’

‘Pf.’ Oliver huffed. ‘Like somebody could actually punch me… So a date, you’re saying.’

‘Yep.’

‘With Eddie?’

‘Aha.’

‘So, what? You like him?’ Oliver questioned.

‘Well,’ she cleared her throat. ‘Yeah.’

‘That guy’s an asshole.’ Oliver spoke.

He saw Felicity’s jaw drop, as she turned towards him with an angry look on her face.

‘Excuse me?’

‘You heard me.’ Oliver smirked. ‘He’s an asshole.’

‘What?’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Why would you say that?’

‘Because, he’s totally clueless.’ Oliver chuckled. ‘He’s a dumbass, he doesn’t understand half the things that are being said to him. And he’s one fake fucker.’

‘What the hell?’ Felicity raised her voice.

 ‘ _I don’t want too much money, because I don’t know what to do with it_.’ Oliver tried mimicking Eddie’s voice. ‘What an ass.’

‘How does that make him an ass?’ Felicity got angrier and angrier by the second.

‘He was trying to come off as humble and content.’ Oliver argued. ‘He wanted to insult me.’

‘You’re such an idiot sometimes!’ Felicity exclaimed furiously. ‘Not everything’s about you.’

‘Believe me, that’s what poor people say to make themselves feel better.’ Oliver said.

‘I… I can’t understand you.’ Felicity sat back in her seat and looked through the window.

They drove in silence for a couple of seconds before Oliver spoke up again.

‘Also, he lives in Central City. How is this little romance going to work, huh?’

‘There’s trains, and cars, and planes in case you don’t know.’ Felicity responded.

‘Sure, and how often are you going to visit one another?’ Oliver snorted. ‘Once a month?’

‘It’s none of your business how I handle my relationships, Oliver.’ She said coolly.

‘Oh my God! _Now you’re in a relationship_!’ Oliver started laughing. ‘Yeah, does he know that? Because it seems to me he just wants a quick lay.’

The second the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. With his peripheral vision, he saw Felicity’s head slowly turning in his direction with an incredulous expression on her face.

‘What. Did you just. Say?’ she said quietly.

Oliver, being a man of his words ( _and an idiot_ ), repeated himself. ‘He just wants to have sex with you, Felicity.’

‘Oh, what, you’re a big moralist now?’ Felicity asked angrily.

‘No, I just-’ Oliver struggled to find the right words. ‘You deserve better.’

‘Right.’ She let out a humorless chuckle. ‘You didn’t seem to think so before.’

‘Of course, I thought so, Felicity.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘I’ve always wished you the best.’

‘No, you haven’t.’ she argued. ‘But now that _you’ve_ fucked me, _I deserve better_ than just sex.’

‘Fe-li-ci-ty,’ he slowly said her name, starting to get frustrated. ‘Please-’

‘I’m going to do something I never thought I’d do.’ Felicity interrupted him. ‘I’m gonna quote Laurel.’

Oliver winced at the mention of his ex-girlfriend’s name.

‘You know what she used to say sometimes?’ Felicity asked.

‘ _I’m the justice you can’t run from’_?’ Oliver tried mimicking her voice.

‘No,’ Felicity said. ‘The other thing.’

 _‘I hope you rot in hell’_?’ Oliver tried again, remembering the things Laurel said the most to him.

‘No!’ Felicity exclaimed and rolled her eyes. ‘ _It’s the hypocrisy I can’t stand’_.’

Oliver snorted. ‘What does she even know about hypo-’

‘What I’m trying to say is,’ Felicity interrupted him. ‘You’re a hypocrite! You say something, while doing the same shit.’

‘He’s not good for you, Felicity.’ Oliver sighed.

‘Guess what, Oliver? You can’t tell me shit!’ she spoke. ‘This is my life, and you can’t tell me what’s good and what’s not. Your opinion on that matter is UN-WANT-ED! Got it? If I want to have just sex with Eddie, I will do it. If I want to date him, I will. That’s none of your Goddamn business.’

A rush of the same weird feeling went through his body, making him grit his teeth. He squeezed the steering wheel tighter. The burn only intensified as images from last night of her and Eddie talking sweetly and laughing together came to his mind.

 _What was it about that Eddie guy she liked so much_? Sure, he was handsome, but Oliver knew he looked better than that smug bastard from Central City. Oliver was better than him in every way possible, for God’s sake!

Oliver reached for the radio and turned it on in order to avoid an awkward silence or round two of the fight. He stopped when he felt her hand on his. He looked away from the road to meet her eyes.

‘I love that song.’ She told him and quickly dropped her hand back on her lap, sinking deeper into her seat.

Oliver shifted his attention back on the road but started listening to the song. There was a long instrumental, which sounded playful and cheerful.

 

‘ _I can’t stop the way I feel._

_Things you do don’t seem real._

_Tell me what you’ve got in mind,_

_‘cause we’re running out of time._

_Won’t you ever set me free?_

_This waiting ‘round is killing me._

_She drives me crazy, uh-oh,_

_Like no one else, uh-oh._

_She drives me crazy_

_I can’t help myself._ ’

 

That same frustrating feeling whenever Oliver was with Felicity returned, and bit him on the ass. Oliver couldn’t put a name to it, simply because he didn’t understand what the hell it was. He turned to look at her for a second, and saw her singing along with her eyes closed, with the sweetest smile spread on her lips. The kind of smile that made him want to sing along with her.

 

‘ _I can’t get any rest._

 _People say that I’m obsessed._ ’

 

‘Wasn’t that an old 80’s song?’ Oliver chuckled. ‘Why does it sound so modern?’

‘This is a cover, Oliver.’ Felicity sighed.

She was obviously still mad at him, making him mad as well. _Why was she being so stubborn right now_? He was just looking out for her! Oliver ran his fingers through his hair, trying to brush off his frustration.

 

‘ _What I had for you was true…_ ’

 

He pressed a button and changed the station.

‘What the hell?!’ Felicity yelled.

‘I don’t like this song!’ Oliver yelled back.

‘You… You…’ Felicity got angrier and just screamed out of frustration.

 _Well, good_! If she was going to drive him wild, he could do it too.

Luckily, they were soon at the mall. Both of them got out of the car in a rush and started pacing towards Thea.

‘Wow,’ Thea exclaimed when she saw them walking so fast. ‘Are you two members of the USA’s athletics team participating in the Olympics?’

‘Haha, funny.’ Felicity said rolling her eyes.

‘I’m gonna go.’ Oliver mumbled.

‘Why don’t you come for a coffee with us?’ Thea suggested.

‘NO!’ Oliver and Felicity exclaimed at the same time and their eyes met.

The anger in hers was still evident, and all Oliver could do was let out a deep sigh.

‘Ugh, what happened again?’ Thea rolled her eyes in annoyance.

‘Nothing, we’re fine.’ Felicity lied. ‘Let’s go.’

The two girls left and Oliver growled in frustration, as he walked back to his car.

_So… Felicity was going out on a date. Very good for her._

And suddenly, Oliver knew what he’d be doing tonight.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Oliver was leaning on the front of his car, when he heard a familiar female voice.

‘Hey, lover.’

Oliver turned around and saw Carrie slowly walking up to him. She had this huge grin on her face, as she got in between his legs and pulled him in for a kiss. Oliver quickly pulled away and looked around to see if there were any people.

‘Not here.’ He hissed.

‘Why not?’ she kissed his neck. ‘There’s no one around. We’re completely alone.’

They had arranged a meeting at the parking behind his club. Oliver hadn’t been with anybody after Felicity, and it was high time he changed that. Tonight he was going to have crazy sex, and if he was nice, maybe even get a blowjob. Thinking about it, he was probably going to get that blowjob, even if he was the rudest motherfucker.

‘Let’s go.’ He pulled her away from himself and opened his door.

‘Someone’s eager.’ Carrie purred as she sat in the passenger’s seat, where Felicity had been just less than 10 hours ago.

 _No, stop it_! Oliver shook his head because he didn’t want to think about Felicity right now. He was about to have hot, mind-blowing sex. _Screw Felicity right now_!

She’s out with _Eddie_ , and Oliver couldn’t care less. Let her. She could do whatever she wanted.

‘What’s going on?’ Carrie’s voice pulled him from his musing.

‘Nothing.’ He muttered.

‘Why do you look so angry?’ she asked again.

‘I’m not angry. I’m just… tired.’ Oliver answered.

‘I’ll take care of that, Mister.’ Carrie grinned widely.

During the rest of the drive Carrie was telling him about her day, but Oliver didn’t pay much attention to her story because he didn’t really care.

When they reached his apartment, she jumped him immediately. She started kissing him and he tried responding to her as fast as he could.

Carrie got rid of her dress, and pressed Oliver to the wall, kissing his jaw and neck, while working on unbuttoning his shirt.

Oliver hissed when her free hand grabbed him through the jeans.

‘Huh…’ she murmured in his neck. ‘Usually you’re harder by the time we’re naked.’

‘Carrie,’ Oliver growled. ‘We’ve been together just once before. Don’t talk as if we’re together every night.’

‘Well, I guess I’ll have to work a little bit harder.’

Carrie shoved him on the nearest chair and unbuttoned his pants. After giving him a couple of pumps, she wrapped her mouth around him and Oliver groaned loudly.

She started going up and down his length, and Oliver felt himself growing harder. When Oliver looked down, he was surprised to see blonde hair sprawled all over his lap. He wrapped his hands in the golden locks and slightly pulled. He was shocked to see Felicity’s sweet pink lips around his member, with a grin on her face, making him harder by the second. Her piercing blue eyes met his, before she winked mischievously at him.

‘ _Do you like it, babe_?’ she asked.

‘Felicity?’ he asked in confusion.

Suddenly, the sucking stopped. The smile on her lips fell, and her golden hair became red.

 _What_?

Oliver closed his eyes tightly and when he opened the he saw Carrie Fucking Cutter staring at him with a shocked expression, anger visible in her eyes.

‘WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?’ she yelled.

‘I-’

‘Did you just call me ‘Felicity’ while I was giving you a blowjob?’ she stood up.

‘What? No!’ Oliver denied. ‘I just-’

‘You’re an asshole!’ she took her dress and started putting it back on.

‘No, no, no.’ Oliver rushed towards her. ‘I-I did call you ‘Felicity’ because that means happiness! And, you… you were bringing me happiness at the momen-’

‘Oh, save it!’ she growled at him. ‘I might have bought this shit if I didn’t know that your sister’s bestie is called Felicity.’

Oliver bit his lip, he was getting frustrated beyond belief.

‘You disgust me!’ she yelled, when she was at the door. ‘Having fantasies about Thea’s Felicity!’

‘How do you even know about Thea’s best friend?’ Oliver asked angrily.

‘I might have followed them on facebook,’ Carrie admitted. ‘But that shit doesn’t matter beca-’

‘You psychotic stalker!’ Oliver exclaimed.

‘You pervert!’ she tried smacking him, but Oliver’s reflexes were faster and he caught her arm.

‘Get out!’ Oliver growled.

‘Gladly!’ she walked out. ‘And never call me again!’

‘ _Gladly_!’ Oliver mimicked her, and closed the door behind her, ignoring her ‘ _Fuck you_.’

He walked back in his bedroom, and threw himself on his bed.

_What had just happened?_

Why had he seen Felicity’s face? What was going on?

Anger rushed through him at the thought that he’d ruined his chances for the night, while Felicity and Eddie were probably going at it like bunnies.

Oliver groaned in frustration. There was nothing left for him to do than just go to bed.

After a quick shower, he put on a new pair of boxer briefs and lied on his bed again.

All he could do now was sleep.

Images of Felicity’s body under Eddie’s kept him awake for a long time, much to Oliver’s surprise and annoyance.

He needed help. He needed to talk to someone about his problem.

_Even though he didn’t know what it was exactly, he knew it was something he couldn’t ignore for much longer._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... that happened :D Don't be too mad at Oliver for his choice, he kinda played himself, anyway :D   
> The song that inspired the title for this chapter and that was on the radio while Olicity were in the car is called 'She drives me crazy' by The Good Natured. It suits Olicity so, so, so much and it's very sweet. I suggest you listen to it :D  
> Anyway, please tell me what you thought. If you liked it, give me kudos! ^_^  
> See you soon! ^_^


	6. Chapter 5- When I envision you I think of your sheets, tangled up beneath me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver interrogates Barry about Felicity's date. Olicity decide to go drinking together (probably not the best idea ;) )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!  
> How are you? I hope you're great and I hope your summer break was awesome! ^_^  
> Here's the new chapter, I think you're gonna like it :D  
> The titles of the chapters are usually lyrics from songs that I thought fit the situation, so if you're interested you can go listen to them. This week's title is from a song called 'Drove me wild'.   
> This poster is made by Victoria. Her twitter is: victori96572376 and she's awesome! <3  
> This isn't beta-d, all mistakes are mine.  
> Anyway, happy reading! ^_^

 

After spending the whole Sunday with the bunch from Central City, Felicity and Barry were sending them off at the train station.

When their train arrived, everyone started saying their goodbyes. Felicity hugged them all one by one, until it was only Eddie left. He slowly approached her and gave her a cheeky smile, causing her to blush furiously.

‘Thanks for everything, Felicity.’ He said when he pulled her in for a hug. ‘It was very fun.’

‘Yeah, well,’ Felicity patted his back. ‘You’re welcome.’

‘We should totally do it again sometime.’ Eddie whispered in her ear. ‘Give me a call when you’re in Central City.’

‘Umm,’ Felicity shivered when his lips brushed her skin. ‘Sure thing.’

‘And I will most definitely call next time I come here.’ He winked when he pulled away.

Felicity chuckled awkwardly as Eddie walked towards the train with the others. Barry came closer to Felicity and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder. She followed his lead, and wrapped hers around his torso. With their free hands they waved and smiled at their friends, who were doing the same through the windows of the train.

When they were gone, Felicity and Barry walked to the bus station, talking and laughing over the fun day they’d had.

‘So, how did the date go last night?’ Barry asked cheekily, when they took their seats.

‘It went great.’ Felicity nodded sharply a couple of times. ‘We had fun.’

Barry grinned widely. ‘You totally had sex with him.’

‘I-I did not.’ Felicity stuttered.

‘Liar!’ Barry whispered.

Felicity bit her lip. ‘Okay, maybe I did…’

‘I knew it!’ Barry exclaimed, making a couple of heads turn towards them. ‘Sorry!’ he apologized to the other people.

‘And you had sex with Patty.’ Felicity tried changing the topic.

‘Yeah, I did.’ Barry smiled at her. ‘At the beach.’

‘Bear, that’s disgusting.’ Felicity grimaced. ‘It’s so unsanitary.’

‘What? We had a towel underneath.’ Barry explained. ‘What about you and Eddie? Spill.’

‘There’s nothing much to spill.’ Felicity shrugged. ‘We had a walk, we went to dinner and then we had sex. He’s a nice fella. I liked him.’

‘I smell a ‘but’.’ Barry scrunched his nose.

‘We both realized it wasn’t going to work.’ Felicity sighed. ‘The sex was nice but a relationship is just something that can’t really happen given these circumstances.’

‘Well, if it serves as any example,’ Barry started. ‘Patty and I will give it a try… Well, she is moving to Startling in three months, so-’

‘She is?’ Felicity exclaimed.

‘Yeah.’ Barry smiled. ‘They finally offered her a great position here.’

‘Barry, I’m so happy for you!’ Felicity hugged him.

‘Thanks, Felicity.’ Barry kissed her cheek. ‘I’m still kinda worried about you, though. I mean, I’m glad you were finally with a man after so long, _I’m not counting Oliver,_ but I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Eddie.’

Felicity sighed. ‘It’s fine, Barry. Plus, I’m only 21, I have my whole life ahead of me.’

‘That,’ Barry pointed towards her. ‘Is absolutely true.’

When Felicity got back home, she took a quick nap and when she woke up she started ironing her dress for the following day at work. She had put her Spotify playlist on shuffle, and was enjoying herself, when suddenly there was a knock on her door.

She wasn’t expecting anyone tonight, so curiosity filled her, as she walked to her door. When she looked through the peephole, she was met by the sight of Thea grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Felicity opened the door, and Thea immediately squeaked.

‘Felicity Megan Smoak, you minx.’

‘Umm-’

‘You slept with that Edwin guy.’ Thea walked in and grabbed Felicity’s shoulders.

‘His name is Eddie,’ Felicity corrected. ‘And did Barry tell you?’

‘He did,’ Thea tilted her head. ‘But I totally guessed it when you didn’t pick up last night. Also, when I called you this morning you were probably going for round two because you were panting. HARD.’

Felicity couldn’t help the blush that spread on her face.

‘Tell me all the dirty details.’ Thea flopped on Felicity’s couch.

‘Well, there isn’t much to tell, honestly.’ Felicity shrugged as she continued ironing.

‘What do you mean?’ Thea asked in confusion. ‘Didn’t you enjoy it?’

‘I-I… I did-’

‘Wasn’t he big enough?’ Thea interrupted her.

‘He. Was.’ Felicity answered. ‘He was great, it’s just…’

‘Just…?’

‘Ugh, I barely came.’ Felicity admitted.

‘Define ‘barely’.’ Thea demanded.

‘Well, he couldn’t do it with just his you-know-what,’ Felicity blushed slightly. ‘He had to use tongue and fingers and all.’

‘Oh, wow.’ Thea shook her head.

‘He was great, really.’ Felicity quickly added. ‘Great kisser, killer body, it’s just… It’s my problem. I’ve always had difficulty with that. It’s just… when I was with your brother, _sorry that I’m bringing it up again_ … When I was with him, it was so much easier and I thought that it would be the same with Eddie-’

‘Wait, wait, hold up.’ Thea interrupted again. ‘My brother made you come faster than anyone?’

‘Don’t ever tell him that!’ Felicity warned her friend.

‘Oh my God…’ Thea shook her head. ‘This is getting better and better.’

‘I know it’s weird to talk to about this but…’ Felicity bit her lip.

‘It’s okay. I’ll try to stomach it.’ Thea answered. ‘Go ahead.’

‘I can’t even describe it.’ Felicity sighed. ‘All he had to do was touch the inside of my thigh and I was ready.’

‘Whaaat?’ Thea asked incredulously.

‘I’m not even joking.’ Felicity swore. ‘He definitely knew what he was doing… Not that Eddie didn’t! He was also great-’

‘You wanna know what I think?’ Thea asked.

‘Sure.’ Felicity answered.

‘I think you’ve wanted to be with my brother as well.’ Thea spoke. ‘I mean, all these years. You probably wanted it too, but stopped yourself.’

‘That’s ridiculous, Thea.’ Felicity argued. ‘You know what, let’s not talk about it anymore, okay? I’m sick of you and Barry repeating the same thing over and over.’

‘Fine.’ Thea grinned. ‘Only because I’m scared if we continue you’ll start talking about my brother’s junk.’

‘I would never!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘But now that you’ve mentioned it…’

‘Ugh.’ Thea made a grimace at Felicity’s teasing. ‘My ears are bleeding!’

‘So, what’s new with you?’ Felicity asked, as she sat on her couch.

‘Well,’ Thea smiled. ‘Remember that guy I told you about that broke into our office?’

‘That Ron Harter guy?’ Felicity asked.

‘Yeah, him.’ Thea chuckled. ‘Turned out he was called _Roy Harper_.’

‘That’s much better.’ Felicity commented. ‘What about him?’

‘He was released, because he hadn’t managed to steal anything.’ Thea explained. ‘He just needed a place to sleep for the night.’

‘So he casually broke into your workplace?’ Felicity raised a brow.

‘He’s from Gotham, but decided to move here.’ Thea continued. ‘It was a spontaneous decision so he hadn’t looked for an apartment or something. He doesn’t have a lot of money with him so now he’s going to stay at one ugly little motel in the Glades.’

‘Okay,’ Felicity narrowed her eyes. ‘But, Thea, how do you know all of that?’

‘Well,’ Thea tilted her head. ‘After he was released, I went up to him to give him a piece of mind. I yelled at him for a couple of minutes for breaking in like that, he just shrugged and said ‘ _Whatever’_ and walked away.’

Felicity chuckled at the guy’s carefree attitude, because she knew how much Thea hated when people acted like that all the time.

‘So you can imagine how angry I got at him.’ Thea spoke. ‘Anyway, I started walking after him telling how terrible that was and before I knew it we were in front of a coffee shop. He told me to stop yelling after him. He said he wanted a coffee right now and if I wanted I was free to join him.’

‘Thea, you do realize he was being sarcastic, right?’ Felicity asked with a half-smile.

‘Oh, I knew it, but I went with him just to piss him off.’ Thea said proudly. ‘Then we started talking and talking and he shared those things with me.’

‘Oh wow…’ Felicity sighed.

‘He’s a really nice fella.’ Thea smiled.

‘What does he do for a living?’ Felicity asked.

‘He, um…’ Thea blushed. ‘He used to steal in Gotham, but-’

‘Oh my God.’ Felicity laughed.

‘Heeyy! He only stole bags and food from shops, that’s all.’

‘Oh, yeah, that makes everything better.’ Felicity said sarcastically.

‘Look, I made him promise not to do it in Starling.’

‘And you trust him?’ Felicity raised a brow.

‘Well,’ Thea thought for a second before nodding. ‘Yes.’

‘Ooookay…’ Felicity looked to the side, then back at her friend. ‘How can you be so sure?’

‘I offered him a job at Verdant.’ Thea said.

‘What?’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Oliver’s gonna kill you. Well, probably not, but he’s gonna kill that Roy guy.’

‘Felicity, he’s not going to kill anyone.’ Thea spoke. ‘Well, I hope.’

‘So…’ Felicity started. ‘You like him?’

Thea bit her lip, trying to fight a smile. ‘I… I do, yeah. I want to get to know him better. Do you think I’m crazy? Barry told me I am.’

‘Barry doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’ Felicity chuckled. ‘He always tries to be our knight in shining armor.’

‘What do you think?’ Thea asked again.

‘I, um…’ Felicity tilted her head and smiled. ‘I think it’s nice. You deserve someone you like, even if he’s a petty thief. I have a feeling that if anyone can help that guy, it’s you.’

Thea’s eyes lit up and a huge smile appeared on her face, as she pulled Felicity in for a hug. ‘Thank you, Felicity.’

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

‘You did not!’ Digg’s jaw dropped.

‘I did.’ Oliver sighed.

‘No!’

‘Yes!’

‘No!’

‘Yes!’ Oliver exclaimed.

‘Man,’ Digg shook his head. ‘That’s fucked up.’

‘Tell me about it.’

Oliver looked outside his window as the morning sun shone brightly. He had spent the entire Sunday locked up at the Mansion, training and watching TV all day.

‘I can’t believe you called her ‘Felicity’ while she was giving you a blowjob.’ Digg spoke.

‘I can’t believe I did it, too.’ Oliver sat down. ‘I don’t know what happened to me. Suddenly, I saw Felicity’s face and it was so confusing.’

Oliver stood silent staring out the window, thinking about what had happened on Saturday night, when he heard a low chuckle. He looked towards his friend and saw Digg covering his mouth, his cheeks red, while he was shaking slightly. Oliver pursed his lips angrily and took a pen from his desk, throwing it in John’s direction.

‘It’s not funny!’ Oliver remarked.

‘It’s hilarious.’ Diggle tried to calm himself down. ‘Told you something would happen once you sleep with Felicity.’

‘But what?’ Oliver asked helplessly. ‘ _What_ happened?’

Just as Diggle opened his mouth to speak, Oliver heard footsteps from outside of his office, and when he looked up, he saw Tommy pacing towards him. When he walked in, he stared at Oliver with a blank expression on his face. Tommy shifted his gaze towards John and nodded slightly at him, which Digg returned.

‘Tommy!’ Oliver greeted. ‘What’s up?’

Tommy let out a humorless chuckle. ‘What’s up?’ he asked sarcastically and looked at Diggle. ‘ _WHAT’S UP_?’

Oliver narrowed his eyes and looked at Digg who had his lips pursed with a confused look on his face.

‘Tommy, man, you okay?’ John asked.

‘I am most definitely NOT OKAY!’ Tommy exclaimed, while turning to look angrily at Oliver.

‘What have I done?’ Oliver asked cautiously.

‘What day is today, Oliver?’ Tommy changed the topic all of a sudden.

‘Umm,’ Oliver cleared his throat. ‘Monday.’

‘MONDAY!’ Tommy yelled. ‘And… What day is Carter Bowen’s birthday party?’

 _Friday_ , Oliver thought immediately. And now was Monday…

Oliver’s eyes widened in shock and his mouth fell open, as realization struck him.

_Holy shit…_

_He’d missed Carter’s yacht party on Friday…_

Because when he had been helping Felicity that afternoon he completely forgot about the party.

‘Shit, Tommy…’ Oliver shook his head slightly.

‘What happened to you, man?’ Tommy asked helplessly. ‘You and I were supposed to have the best Guys’ Night Out! Whiskey, beer and Victoria’s Secret and Sports Illustrated models, Oliver!’

‘Well, Oliver’s slept with both, VS and SI girls.’ Digg butt in.

‘No, no, no, no, John, you don’t understand.’ Tommy whined, as he dramatically fell on Oliver’s couch. ‘He was supposed to be my wingman! He had to help me get in Gigi Hadid’s pants.’

‘Tommy,’ Oliver started. ‘She’s dating that guy from this boy-band… What was it called?’

‘Who?’ Tommy asked in confusion. ‘That guy from Maroon 5?’

‘No, Behati is married to him.’ Oliver spoke.

‘Didn’t you sleep with her?’ John asked.

‘Yeah, but before she got married.’ Oliver explained.

Digg snorted. ‘Not that the ring would’ve stopped you.’

‘YO!’ Tommy exclaimed. ‘Who is Gigi dating?’

‘There were 5 punks in the group.’ Oliver rubbed his temples.

‘5 minutes of some season? That group?’ Tommy winced.

‘No, the other band.’ Oliver said.

‘Okay, you know what, whatever.’ Tommy shook his head. ‘Where were you on Friday?’

Oliver turned to look out the window, ignoring Tommy and Diggle. All he could think about was how fun that afternoon with Felicity had been. The party had completely slipped from his mind. He and Felicity had been talking about all the trips, they’ve been to together, about all the funny memories they’d shared and he’d absolutely forgot about Carter. And when Felicity had told him he could stay, he hadn’t hesitated at all.

‘I helped Felicity with something and I completely forgot.’ Oliver confessed to Tommy.

Tommy sat up and stared at Oliver. He blinked a couple of times and then looked at Diggle. John nodded to him, and Oliver furrowed his eyebrows because his best friends were having a silent conversation and he couldn’t understand what that meant.

‘O-kay…’ Tommy said and took a deep breath.

The three men stood in awkward silence for a bit, before they heard footsteps and talking. When Oliver looked in that direction, he saw Barry Allen and Curtis having a conversation, both laughing loudly. When Barry met Oliver’s eyes his smile dropped. Oliver looked at Curtis, who grinned widely and waved enthusiastically at him.

Now, unlike Barry Allen, Oliver and Curtis got along pretty well. Probably because Curtis didn’t oppose Oliver on anything, and always spoke highly of him, unlike the Allen Kid.

Curtis walked towards Oliver’s office and opened the door.

‘Heello!’ he greeted.

‘Hi, Curtis.’ Oliver gave him a tight smile.

Digg and Tommy nodded their greetings, as Barry Allen walked in as well.

‘How have you been, Oliver?’ Curtis asked.

‘Great,’ Oliver pursed his lips. ‘I’ve been great. You?’

‘Me too.’ Curtis smiled. ‘I just got back in town with my boyfriend Paul.’

‘That’s great, Curtis.’ Oliver spoke. ‘You here to meet with Felicity?’

‘Yeah,’ Curtis confirmed. ‘I just had a job interview here actually.’

‘Oh, that’s really nice.’ Oliver beamed. ‘How’d it go?’

‘I think it went well, I might get the job.’ Curtis explained happily. ‘They’ll call me by the end of the week. Anyway, Barry came to pick me up, but while we were here, we decided to pay Felicity a visit. When is she going to come?’

‘Well, I don’t really tell her when to come, she doesn’t have particular working hours.’ Oliver shrugged. ‘She gets so much job done, anyway. I trust her completely.’

Curtis smiled at him, before suddenly looking to the side. ‘May I use the bathroom, by the way?’

‘Sure.’ Oliver agreed. ‘Mine, or Felicity’s?’

‘You’re the only people on this floor and you have separate bathrooms?’ Curtis raised his brows.

‘Yep.’

‘Well, hers, I guess.’ Curtis shrugged.

Oliver showed him the way and when he came back to his office, he saw Allen standing awkwardly, to the side, leaning on the glass wall.

_This was the perfect moment._

‘Barry,’ he started. ‘Why don’t you have a seat?’

‘I’m fine, thank you.’ Barry answered coolly.

‘Okay…’ Oliver nodded. ‘Do you want some coffee?’

‘Umm,’ Barry narrowed his eyes.

‘Tommy will get you one.’ Oliver suggested.

‘WHAT?’ Tommy yelled.

Oliver shot him a look, and Tommy understood he had to leave the room immediately.

‘How do you like your coffee?’ Oliver asked Barry again, who was still suspiciously looking from Tommy to Oliver.

‘Espresso.’ Barry spoke. ‘With a lot of cream.’

‘Espresso it is.’ Oliver smiled and looked at Tommy, who snorted and left the office.

‘What’s going on?’ Barry asked.

‘Nothing.’ Oliver said. ‘How are you?’

‘I’m alright.’ Barry answered.

‘Good, good.’ Oliver nodded. ‘How was your weekend?’

‘It was fun.’

‘What did you do on Saturday?’

‘Well, I-’

Truth be told, Oliver couldn’t care less about how Allen spent the weekend. He knew the Kid was in LA with that Patty girl on Saturday, while Felicity was with _Eddie_. All he cared about was finding out what had Felicity done with Eddie, how had their date been, and what were they going to do now. Would they start dating officially, or would they forget each other? That’s why Oliver completely ignored all talks that didn’t involve her.

‘That sounds great,’ Oliver interrupted him. ‘And what about Sunday?’

‘Sunday was fun, too.’ Barry said, still looking rather suspicious. ‘We went to the zoo, the park and a couple of monuments. Felicity was like a tour-guide.’

The mention of Felicity’s name made Oliver’s senses go on full alert.

‘Felicity,’ Oliver repeated. ‘Of course she did. I haven’t seen her since Saturday morning. What did she do when you were in LA?’ he asked innocently, acting as if he was clueless.

‘She was out with Eddie.’ Barry said.

‘Oh, the blonde guy!’ Oliver exclaimed. ‘Nice, good for her. What did they do?’

‘It was a date, actually.’ Barry said matter-of-factly. ‘They went to ‘Happy’ to have dinner.’

With the corner of his eye, Oliver caught Diggle’s amused expression, as he tried not to laugh at the conversation Oliver and Barry were having.

‘And… anything else?’ Oliver asked cautiously.

 Barry sank into the chair and narrowed his eyes at Oliver, as a small smirk crept on his face.

‘Are you asking me whether she slept with him?’ he asked.

‘What?’ Oliver exclaimed. ‘Of course not.’

‘Good.’ Barry smiled cockily. ‘Because I wasn’t going to tell you, anyway.’

Oliver fought the urge to smash the Kid’s head in the glass table for his arrogance. He, however, decided to keep his cool in hopes that he could still get something out of Allen. Just as he was about to ask more questions, when Curtis walked in the office with the goofiest smile ever.

‘This place is so huge!’ he exclaimed. ‘I mean, Felicity’s bathroom is bigger than my college dorm room.’

Everyone chuckled, before Curtis started speaking again.

‘So, what did I miss?’ he asked. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘The weekend.’ Barry spoke.

‘Felicity and Eddie.’ Oliver muttered, but apparently everyone managed to hear him.

‘Eddie?’ Curtis furrowed his eyebrows.

‘Yeah, I told you about him.’ Barry said, sounding a little worried, which made Oliver even more alert. ‘You know, the police officer.’

‘Oh!’ Curtis exclaimed. ‘The guy Felicity slept with on Saturday.’

Barry shot him an angry glare, as Oliver looked towards Diggle. John’s eyebrows raised slightly, before he shrugged.

Oliver stood up and looked at the city through his window for the hundredth time today. He finally had his answer, and wished he had just stayed clueless. _Knowledge is sorrow_ , his father used to say to him.

He couldn’t understand why Felicity had slept with Eddie, when she’d just met him the day before. She had always been the type of girl to get to know someone before letting them close to her. _Hell, it had taken Oliver about 4 months for her to warm up to him_! Did she really like that Eddie guy that much that she’d break her personal rules?

Oliver’s jaw clenched at the thought that Eddie had had her, _right after him_. That he’d been in her, _right after him_. That he’d been to the one to bring her pleasure, _right after him_.

He felt the rush of blood through his body, as he fought back the shivers caused by his anger. _Who did that punk think he was? Coming here, wooing things that weren’t his to woo_?

Oliver scrunched his nose at the last thought. Not that Felicity was _his_ to woo or anything. She was her own person.

Which meant she could be with whoever she wanted and she could do whatever she wanted. Oliver was completely supportive of her decisions. _He only didn’t like Eddie… And Cooper…  And Ray Palmer…_

Okay, so maybe Oliver didn’t like the guys the Felicity had been involved with but honestly, it wasn’t his fault. The poor girl had such a terrible taste in men…

‘I wasn’t supposed to say that, was I?’ Curtis’ voice pulled Oliver from his musing.

‘No, you weren’t.’ Barry remarked with an annoyed tone.

‘I wish you hadn’t.’ Oliver whispered to himself.

The door opened and Tommy walked in with the coffees. Barry and Curtis decided to wait in Felicity’s office, so they said their goodbyes and went to sit on the other side of the glass.

‘So, what’d I miss?’ Tommy rubbed his hands together.

‘Nothing.’ Oliver said, trying to ignore that sting that was becoming quite familiar these past few days… _or months… okay, so it had been there for A WHILE_ ….

‘Absolutely nothing.’ He repeated.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When Felicity arrived at work, she was surprised to see Barry and Curtis waiting for her in her office. She hadn’t seen Curtis in a while, and now that he had graduated as well, he had come back and was hopefully, going to be her co-worker. She was happy to have one of her friends closer to her, now she could avoid unpleasant situations and encounters much easier.

After catching up with Curtis, they decided to meet up for lunch tomorrow, just the four of them- Felicity, Curtis, Thea and Barry. Like old times.

Soon after Barry and Curtis left, Felicity dug into work. A soft cough pulled her out of her work. Looking up, she saw Oliver who was scratching his neck with a nervous look on his face.

She was still mad at him for the way he had acted on Saturday and his lack of understanding. He was in no position to tell her such things, especially after the life he led himself.

Oliver moved his gaze away from hers, swallowing thickly a couple of times. Obviously, whatever he wanted to say now was hard for him, so Felicity put all of her focus on his next words.

‘I’m sorry.’ He said finally.

Felicity blinked rapidly a couple of times. _Now, that was rare_. Oliver usually wasn’t one to apologize to anyone for anything.

‘Were you apologizing to me or… were you talking to the window?’ she asked.

He finally met her eyes, and let out a small sigh. ‘I didn’t get in an argument with the window. Felicity, you were right. I can’t tell you what to do. I probably don’t show it often, but I do care about you. A LOT.’

Felicity didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she exhaled heavily. She bit her lip, as she watched Oliver talking to her and damn him, he knew exactly what to say. His voice and features always softened when he apologized to her and there was something about the way he talked to her. _Something that made her heart flutter in her chest_.

‘I just want you to be happy.’ He continued. ‘And whether _I_ like Eddie or not, shouldn’t matter to you. I’m your friend and I want the best for you. And if you like him… I’m gonna have to suck it up, and support you. Because if I don’t, I might lose you and I don’t want that to happen. You’ve been in my life for 6 years now, and as weird as it sounds, I can barely remember me before you.’

Felicity was looking at him, feeling her own features soften at his apology.

‘Well,’ she started. ‘Good news for you. You’re not gonna lose me… At least not now.’

Oliver let out a small chuckle and sat on her desk.

‘Eddie and I are not together, so you won’t ‘have to suck it up’.’ She smiled at him.

‘What happened?’ he asked. ‘Was his dick small?’

Felicity chuckled when she saw Oliver grinning at his own joke.

‘His dick was fine.’ Felicity slapped his arm.

‘Then what it is?’ Oliver asked again.

‘It wasn’t going to work.’ Felicity shrugged, looking to the side.

‘You know what?’ Oliver asked. ‘Why don’t we go for a drink after work?’

Felicity raised her brow. ‘On a Monday night?’

‘Yep.’

‘Oliver,’ she sighed. ‘You may be used to this but not me. I don’t go for drinks on workdays.’

‘Oh, come on,’ Oliver rolled his eyes. ‘You just got dumped and I feel like drinking tonight. It’s a win for both of us.’

‘Hey!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘I did not get dumped!’

‘Sure, Jan.’ Oliver laughed, making Felicity slap him playfully a couple of times. ‘We’re heading out at 10!’

‘No.’ Felicity said simply.

‘Fe-li-ci-ty…’ he said her name, making her shiver slightly. ‘You know better than anyone that I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer!’

He grinned at her and winked, before heading back to his office, leaving Felicity speechless.

Felicity’s day got boring after that, apart from those quick moment when Oliver casually passed her by, saying ’10 p.m.’ and then leaving her.

At 10 p.m. sharp Oliver turned off the lights in his office and walked out till he was in front of her. She looked up from the computer screen and saw him grinning.

‘C’mon.’ he said. ‘It’s time.’

‘No.’ she started. ‘I want to do a couple more things.’

‘Felicity,’ he sighed. ‘I bet that you’re five days ahead anyway.’

‘Well,’ she looked down. ‘Only three days.’

‘Fe-li-ci-ty,’ he did it again. ‘Please. Let’s go have some fun tonight.’

‘Don’t you have someone better to have fun with?’ Felicity raised a brow. ‘Tommy? Digg? One of your fangirls? ... Or a couple of them.’

‘I want to spend some time with you.’ He finally said.

Felicity tried holding back a smile, but when she realized it wasn’t working, she just shook her head. ‘Alright.’ she gave up. ‘Let’s go.’

They left the building and once again, they realized they were last, as people usually left at about 6 p.m. They went to the parking lot and got into Oliver’s car.

‘So,’ he started the car. ‘Where do you want to go?’

‘I don’t know.’ She shrugged.

‘Ever been to a strip club?’ Oliver asked mischievously.

Felicity felt herself blushing. ‘No, not really. But Oliver-’

‘Strip club it is then.’ Oliver chuckled as he drove past QC.

‘Oliver, I’m not interested in seeing naked females.’ Felicity rolled her eyes.

‘Look, I’m gonna take you to a nice one, okay?’ Oliver spoke. ‘It’s called ‘Toxic’ and it has the best cocktails in the city.’

‘Yeah, I don’t even like the name.’ Felicity winced.

‘Felicity, I promise you we’re gonna have a good time.’

They spend the rest of the drive talking about their day, and Felicity was surprised to hear that Oliver had been to four meetings. Four… In one day. She wasn’t his secretary and that’s why she didn’t know his schedule, but damn, he was really busy. She never saw him drinking coffee, so how he managed to survive those long days, was a mystery to her.

When they reached the club, they walked in without even being checked. The second they saw Oliver, they immediately let him in with a ‘Good evening, Mister Queen’.

The club was dark, with only blue lights flickering from time to time. There was a bar to the side and a huge dance floor. Right in the center, there was a stage with five poles, four of which were already occupied. The girls were dancing seductively as people threw money at them or stuck the cash in their panties and bras. Other people were on the dance floor enjoying the music for themselves, not sparing a glance at the strippers.

‘C’mon.’ Oliver spoke in her ear, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bar.

‘Mister Queen!’ the bartender exclaimed when he saw Oliver, and rushed towards him. ‘The usual?’

‘Sure thing, Robbie.’ Oliver said.

‘And what can I get you, Miss?’ the Robbie guy turned to look at Felicity.

Felicity started considering her options, and which had less alcohol. She turned to look at Oliver who was watching her with his head tilted and a smirk. Oliver always joked about how she was overthinking everything and to be frank, he was right. Felicity was constantly anxious and worried over stuff and she was sick of being this way. So at least for tonight, she decided she wasn’t going to think, but just go with the flow.

‘Surprise me.’ She smiled at the guy behind the bar, making his eyes and smirk go wider, as he went to the other side of the bar to prepare their drinks.

‘So,’ Oliver scooted closer when they were alone. ‘What do you think?’

Felicity looked around at the people around them having fun. She stared at the dances that the strippers were performing and turned back to look at a grinning Oliver.

‘Not bad.’ She replied.

‘One whiskey with 3 ices for Mr. Queen,’ the voice of the bartender interrupted them as he placed their drinks in front of them. ‘And a ‘Sex on the Beach’ for the lady.’

He gave Felicity a wink, as she tried not to blush at his choice. He was quite tall and had blonde hair tied in what was called a man bun, or so Felicity had heard. He had a couple of crocked teeth, but his smile was still drop dead gorgeous. He was slim and good-looking and his eyes were a lot like Oliver’s. _Well, Oliver’s eyes were much prettier. Plus, Oliver was overall better looking, than him… And why is she comparing him to Oliver_? Felicity shook her head.

‘Thanks.’ She spoke.

‘So, I haven’t seen you around.’ Robbie leaned on the bar plot. ‘Maybe you’ve-’

‘Robbie,’ Oliver’s interrupted him. ‘She’s with me. Back off!’

Felicity saw Oliver’s face, clear of emotion, and then turned to look at the bartender, who had turned white as a sheet.

‘I’m so sorry, Sir.’ He apologized. ‘I’ll just… leave. Have a great night!’

‘Wow,’ Felicity exclaimed when Robbie was gone. ‘Did you just cockblock me?’

‘Oh, come on,’ Oliver grinned. ‘He’s not your type, you weren’t gonna sleep with him anyway. Plus, we’re here together. We just went out to have fun and it’s gonna be a platonic night for both of us, okay? We’re not hooking up with anybody.’

Felicity chuckled. ‘Deal.’

‘Cheers?’ Oliver lifted his glass off the bar plot.

‘Cheers!’ Felicity clinked their glasses together, and they took a sip of their drinks at the same time.

Drink after drink, Felicity became happier and laughed harder. She started dancing around a laughing Oliver, who was probably just as drunk as her. The club was full and the music was loud, making her feel hotter and hotter by the second.

‘Oliver!’ she yelled in his ear when Calvin Harris’ new hit started playing. ‘I love this song!’

‘Time for a dance?’ he asked cheekily and took her hand in his, guiding her towards the dance floor.

Felicity stumbled once or twice, but managed not to fall. When they reached the floor, she started swaying her hips and singing loudly. There were a lot of people and there was a lot of pushing and somebody stepped on her foot a couple of times, but she wasn’t gonna let that ruin her mood. All of a sudden, her back was pressed to a solid chest and hard abs, that she was absolutely positive belonged to Oliver. She slightly turned around to see if she’s right and when she felt his hot breath on her temple, she couldn’t help the small moan from escaping. His hands were on her hips, controlling her movements, and keeping her closer to him. Felicity bit her lip as she guided one of her own hands until it was touching his neck, pulling his head closer, until they were chin to chin. Now, Felicity had never been into guys with beards, but Oliver’s scruff scratched her soft cheek deliciously and their current position reminded her of the night they’d had sex and how hot their kisses had been, and how the feel of his scruff and the slight red marks it had left on her face had turned her on even more. It had been a great experience for her, because no man had made her come so hard and so fast.

‘You’re thinking again.’ Oliver spoke in her ear, making her shiver.

‘How can you be so sure?’ she turned around in his hands, not moving away from him.

‘I just know you too well.’ He smirked.

His eyes were dark and hungry, as they were staring at each other and suddenly it hit her. _He knew she was thinking, because he was thinking about the same thing._

A voice in her head started calling her and telling her these thoughts were wrong and she should just get rid of them for good. That voice told her to say no to him and to stop thinking about him that way.

At the same time, there was another voice, much louder, reminding her that she’d made a promise to not overthink, at least for tonight. This voice told her to enjoy herself to the fullest.

Felicity’s gaze fell on the empty pole and an idea struck her. Without even looking at her partner in crime for the night, she left him and headed for the pole. She climbed on the stage, grabbed the pole, and made a quick turn just to test it out. When she looked at the chairs right under her pole she saw Oliver sitting in one with the biggest smirk on his face and he looked up at her and took a sip from his whiskey. _Was that his fourth glass? How many cocktails had she drank? Wait, what?_

‘That’s my third.’ Oliver answered. ‘And you drank six ‘Sex on the beaches’… Yes, you asked out loud.’

Felicity giggled and spun again, this time slower. Taking her time, she lowered her body while moving her hips from side to side, until she was on all fours.

‘Damn!’ She heard Oliver exclaiming.

Her eyes had been closed and when she opened them, she saw a few more people were around her pole as well. She felt some of her insecurities getting back as she stood up again.

Oliver looked around and when he saw them, his smugness was replaced by annoyance.

‘Spread out, guys.’ he said to the others. ‘That’s a private show.’

‘Yeah, then why isn’t it in a private booth?’ one of the guys asked.

Oliver’s gaze fell on one of the bodyguards’ eyes and he gestured for them to come. Apparently, the bodyguard understood exactly what was going on, because when he arrived he pushed the others away and soon Oliver was once again alone.

‘Better?’ he asked with a grin.

‘Better.’ She giggled and lifted her left foot, twisting it around the pole, while she used the right one to spin again, before lifting it in the air.

She was wearing a short flowy dress with a cutout on the top of her breasts, and she was sure that Oliver could see her panties, but she couldn’t care less. She lowered herself again on her knees and smiled devilishly at Oliver who was rubbing his hand over his mouth, looking as sexy as ever. She crawled closer to him and just when he moved towards her as well, did Felicity realize their proximity. She could feel the heat radiating from him, as his eyes darkened by the second. Blue met blue, and Felicity’s breath hitched when Oliver looked down at her mouth. She could feel the whiskey on his breath, mixing with his strong aftershave sharpening her senses, making her want dangerous things from him.

That’s when Felicity’s mind came to its’ senses. She realized she was on a pole… in a strip club… with Oliver. She was thinking about sex with him again, and the realization made her jaw drop.

 _She needed to get away_.

‘I need to use the restroom.’ She spoke against his mouth.

His eyes had been shut, and he was breathing slowly against her mouth, but her words obviously made him get a grip on himself. He pulled away at the same time as her, and nodded rapidly.

Felicity came down from the stage and headed to the restroom, more like ran towards it. When she entered, she immediately went to the sink and started washing her hands.

_Inhale…_

_Exhale…_

_Inhale…_

_Exhale…_

She tried to slow down her breathing and the beating of her heart. A passionate fire was burning her insides, making her long for Oliver’s touch. _Stop it_!

Felicity shook her head rapidly with her eyes shut, in an attempt to switch off the images of her and Oliver _together_. She then pressed her palms to her cheeks, feeling the burn in her them as well.

When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she saw how dilated her pupils, how flushed her face was, and how her whole body was shaking slightly, just at the thought of Oliver.

Suddenly, the door flew open. Felicity raised her head to see the reflection of the woman who had entered, but gasped when her eyes locked with _her_ _favorite_ pair of blue eyes.

He was looking at her with _that_ familiar intensity and it made her bite her lip to hold back a moan.

‘Oliver,’ she turned around to face him. ‘It’s the ladies’ room. What are you do-?’

Before she could even finish, Oliver had already closed the distance between them and her words died on her lips, as Oliver slanted his over them. There was nothing soft about this kiss. It was all lips, tongue and teeth. Felicity could feel all of Oliver’s passion and lust with every flick of his tongue against hers. His hands were in her hair, pulling slightly, but not causing her any pain at all. If anything, it turned her on even more.

‘Oliver,’ she pulled away from him. ‘What are you doing?’

She was panting hard, trying to get as much oxygen as she could, while he was thinking for an answer.

‘Felicity,’ he said, still keeping her close to him. ‘I know I said I’d leave you alone, and God damn it, I tried. But I can’t do it right now…’

Felicity swallowed hard. ‘What do you want, Oliver?’ she asked as she wrapped her hands around his wrists.

‘You know what I want, Felicity.’ He brushed his cheek against hers, the feel of his scruff grazing her soft skin, made Felicity’s toes curl. ‘And I know you want it, too. I saw how you looked at me tonight and I knew. I knew because I felt the same way.’

His hands fell from her face and started moving lower, till his right hand was on her ass and his left hand was holding onto the counter, keeping them pressed to each other.

‘Just say the word, Felicity, and I’ll let it go.’ Oliver promised. ‘I’ll drive you home, and I’ll go back to my place.’

Somehow that thought didn’t sit well with Felicity, making her shut her eyes tighter.

‘But…’ Oliver started whispering again. ‘If you don’t want to go home like that, we can both give in and please each other the way no one else can… Unlike those previous times, however, this time I’ll take ‘no’ for an answer. I’ll leave you alone, if that’s what you want.’

Felicity’s eyes opened and _holy shit_ , she was even more turned on. She cupped Oliver’s face and pulled him down to her so that their lips could meet again. That was the answer Oliver needed, because that’s when he started moving.

His hands travelled down to her ass again, and squeezed her, before lifting her up to sit on the counter, making her gasp in surprise. His tongue stroke hers gently, before he bit her lower lip with his teeth. One of his hands was placed on the counter beside her, while the other was busy pulling her skirt higher till it was bunched up around her waist. The cold air hit her heated skin, making her shiver with anticipation. Her hands wrapped around his neck, to keep him impossibly close to her.

Oliver’s body was between her spread legs, and when one of his hands fell on her tight, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist, she happily obliged.

Oliver stopped kissing her and met her eyes. At the same time, they both smirked at each other. His gaze travelled lower on her neck, breasts, and fell on the front of his pants pressed to her center.

Felicity followed his eyes and saw his bulge poking out, _clearly wanting to be free_. So that’s what she did. Her hands started working on his belt, then zipper, before pulling his pants and boxers down, causing his erection to spring free.

His fingers hooked inside her panties and pulled them lower. Oliver took a few steps back so that they were off completely and then, without warning, he pushed two fingers inside of her, making Felicity moan loudly. His fingers were doing their magic, while his lips were leaving their mark on her jaw, going lower towards her neck.

Felicity didn’t want to want him, but dang it, she did. And he wanted her, too. This whole situation was a mess, she knew it, but fuck it, she’d think about it tomorrow.

_For now, she was just going to give in and join him in his lust and passion._

Her hand found his length, squeezing him lightly, causing Oliver to grunt loudly.

‘God, you’re so hard.’ She commented, while giving him a few pumps.

‘And you’re so wet.’ He added.

Felicity tried not to blush, as it was something normal during sex, but she couldn’t help herself. Truth be told, she was extremely happy about it, because it usually took her much longer to get ready for the actual part in order for her to enjoy it, and _Lord, Oliver was just getting started._

Suddenly, Oliver inserted a third finger and curled them inside, causing her to explode. _Right. On. The spot._

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her head fell backwards, as his lips ravished the sensitive skin just above her breasts thanks to that cut-out. Felicity felt the hot and cold waves hit her body, and she knew she was coming. She pursed her lips to keep herself from shouting, but then Oliver’s fingers were on her mouth, making her release her lips from that hold.

‘It’s a club, Felicity. It’s loud.’ He explained. ‘No one will hear you.’

‘Yeah right.’ he panted. ‘But you will.’

He smirked and Felicity saw the thin layer of sweat on his cheeks and forehead. Oliver reached for one of his pockets and took out a condom. He ripped the package and slowly rolled it on his length, _the one she’d just held_.

His hands fell on her thighs and started moving slowly over her soft skin.

‘Now, how do you prefer it, Felicity? My strokes can be short and fast-’

Felicity moaned and shut her eyes, when he did _exactly that_. He pushed into her in one sudden and quick movement, then pulled out, leaving her breathless.

‘Or, long and slow?’ he whispered. ‘What do you want?’

‘We need to be quick,’ Felicity started. ‘Somebody might walk in, and we’re in situation that will-’

‘Fe-li-ci-ty…’ he bit her lower lip. ‘ _Stop thinking_ …’

Felicity took a deep breath in order to clear her head. ‘Okay, then…’ she spoke. ‘How about long and slow…’

‘I’d like that very much.’ He murmured intimately, while his hands found their way to her bottom.

His right hand travelled all the way up to her neck to pull her in for another kiss, before going back down to hold her butt. A cool chill ran down her spine where his fingers had touched her.

He pulled her closer to his body and her bundle of nerves brushed against his stone-hard arousal. Felicity logically knew she had to stop things, but his mouth, so warm and inviting, persuaded her to stay and continue this thing with him.

Her hands wrapped around his neck, so that their chests were pressed firmly together and Felicity could feel theirs hearts beating in perfect synchronicity. Their mouths, hands, and hips were moving in sync, _and now their hearts_ …

He thrust inside her, slowly, and stood still for a second or two before pulling out again. Another moan escaped her mouth, when he repeated this same action, over and over.

Him filling her so perfectly, and the thrill of the possibility of getting got, mixed with Oliver’s throaty grunts turned Felicity on even more if that was possible.

At some point their eyes met, and never moved away. Felicity saw her own lust, reflected in his blue orbs that almost looked like they were shining. There was also an emotion in them that she couldn’t put a name to. _But she was sure she was feeling it, as well_.

Felicity could hear the music on the other side of the door, but all that mattered to her was the sound of him coming in and out of her, their breathing and sloppy kisses.

Oliver’s pace started increasing, while Felicity’s walls clenched around him, indicating that they were both close. In one swift motion, Oliver snapped his hips inside of her, as he bit her exposed collarbone, causing her to finally let go, as her orgasm coursed through her. After a few strong thrusts, Oliver followed her into the sweet bliss, his cock still half-hard and pulsing inside of her.

They were both breathing hard for a couple of silent moments. Oliver was the first one to pull himself together, as he straightened up. He pulled out of her, and she almost moaned, but she decided against it.

She was tired, her legs were shaking, and she couldn’t catch her breath still. She was sticky and sweaty, and all she wanted right now was a shower and a good sleep.

Oliver cleared his throat and started washing his hands.

Fear crept, when she remembered the last time she and Oliver had had sex and how he’d ignored her afterwards. No…

_No, no, no… He couldn’t do it again._

‘So…’ he spoke all of a sudden, pulling her from her musing. ‘That happened.’

Felicity tried not to smile, _she really did_ , but when she saw a grin appear on his face, she allowed herself a small smirk.

‘Yeah, I guess.’ She shrugged.

‘Do you want to go dancing again?’ he asked.

Felicity let out a small sigh of relief, because obviously this time Oliver was going to handle things differently, better, like a man.

‘I’m really tired.’ She said. ‘I think we should go back home. We have work tomorrow and it’s-’ she took out her phone and gasped. ‘3:11 a.m.!!!’

‘Okay, then,’ he nodded once. ‘Let’s take you home.’

Oliver helped her get down from the counter, and offered his hand before they walked out. To say that Felicity was surprised would be an understatement, because the Oliver from last time had basically ran away from her as fast as he could.

On the other hand, the Oliver standing next to her, giving her his hand with a soft and content smile on his face, was so different. Something had changed in him, and Felicity didn’t know what. _Or maybe the change was in her?_

Felicity smiled back at him and put her hand in the crook of his arm, as they walked back to his car. He was telling her something, but Felicity stopped listening at some point, getting lost in her own thoughts.

What if that change was not in his or her attitude only?

_What if it was in both of them?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... that happened :D These two just can't keep their hands to themselves. :D  
> I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter. Drop me a comment saying what you thought and if you liked it, give me kudos! ^_^  
> Any questions you have about the fic, or if you just want to say 'Hi' my tumblr is: http://xoxo-wild-one.tumblr.com/ and my twitter is: https://twitter.com/Berry_Sabit   
> I love talking to you! Anyway, see you soon! ^_^


	7. Chapter 6 – Something inside me had changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Mama Smoak + a lot of Olicity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I've been a little piece of shit. I AM SO SORRY...  
> I am 3 weeks late and I don't even have a valid explanation. The first week I was on a holliday with friends and didn't have time. When I got back I was procastinating and then writer's block was being a bitch :D Then when I finally sat down to write my parents took me on a surprise trip to Romania. And when I got back home, I had *drum roll*... boy trouble. (I know, I know... I'm only 19 :D) But so many of you, guys, messaged me asking about the fic and I just had to sit down and write. I don't want to disappoint you and I'm sorry it took me so long to post this. I promise I'll never do it again. Thank you for your support and interest in my story. It keeps me motivated! Once again, I'm sorry.  
> Anyway, the poster is made by the wonderful Victoria: victori96572376 on twitter. <3  
> This story isn't beta-d, all mistakes are mine.  
> The title for this chapter is from Hailee Steinfeld's song ''Starving''. Give it a listen if you want to! ^_^  
> Without further ado, here's chapter 6. Happy reading ^_^

 

The loud ringing of her alarm caused Felicity to wake up with a yelp. Her eyes flew open, she sat up immediately and took in her surroundings. She let out a relieved sigh when she realized she was in her bedroom and the sun rays were hesitantly coming in.

Her head was reeling slightly as she stood up and headed towards her kitchen. Her throat was drier than a desert and she needed to drink water, then coffee so that she could start functioning properly. As her headache got worse, she soon realized there was a slight pain between her thighs.

Felicity sat on her stool with narrowed eyes. One of her hands rubbed the inside of her thighs in order to soothe the ache there, while the other one brushed over her slightly parted lips.

_His fingertips slid across the soft skin of her thigh, as his mouth was in a battle for dominance with hers. Felicity felt her whole body buzzing with anticipation, as her passion and desire for him built with every touch… every kiss… every look…_

‘Frack!’

Felicity’s hands shot up to cover her mouth as realization struck her.

_Oh, shit…_

_She’d done it again_ …

Her eyes widened in shock and horror when she remembered that she’d had sex with Oliver… AGAIN… after promising she wouldn’t do it.

 _Worst part?_ She had enjoyed it.

Felicity stood up and looked at the view from her window. She could see half of the city from her apartment and it looked beautiful at this hour. There were a few people down the street and Felicity started wondering whether any of them had the same problem like her or they were content with their relationships and weren’t seeking sex from people they shouldn’t.

She knew this was wrong but damn it, it felt good.

Okay, so it had happened again… But it was different. This time she hadn’t done it because she was pressured, she had done it because she wanted it too.

A feeling of panic grew in her at her own realization, but luckily for her, her phone buzzed and pulled her out of her musing.

_Bby girl, com over 4 lunch. We need some girl tym. *kiss emoji* *kiss emoji* *kiss emoji* *kiss emoji* *kiss emoji*_

_-D.S 09:12_

 

Felicity winced upon seeing her mother’s grammar and knowledge of emojis.

She, however, smiled at the message because she’d missed her mother while she had been on vacation with Quentin. They’d been visiting Laurel in New York for two weeks and were now back.

When Donna and Quentin had started dating, Donna had shared one of her biggest dreams with him- to run a restaurant of her own, and for their third anniversary Quentin had bought a piece of land in a nice area in Starling. Felicity was still curious as to how he got so much money, because buying _that_ particular place with a detective’s salary was unimaginable. She had asked him a couple of times, but he had always avoided it or changed the subject quickly. Seeing how happy Donna had been thanks to that gift, Felicity had let it slide, but she had made herself a promise to figure out where that money had come from.

By their fourth anniversary, the restaurant had opened and now it was running and it had a lot of regular clients, who loved Donna and the rest of the staff.

_I’ll stop by at around 1 p.m._

  * _S. 09:14_



 

_C U then. *kiss emoji* *smile emoji* *wink emoji*_

  * _S. 09:15_



 

Felicity once again cringed at her screen. She needed to have a conversation with her mom about the usage of emojis and abbreviations.

She chopped herself a banana and an apple and got ready for work. At 10 a.m. she left her apartment and headed to QC. She was once again stopped by Simon at the entrance and had spent about 5 minutes talking to him, but luckily for her, Elijah, a colleague of hers from the IT department, saw her and started talking about some problem, causing her to ditch Simon. Turned out that the problem wasn’t as major as Elijah thought, which made Felicity kinda question the skills of the people she worked with.

She dove into work, trying to ignore the fact that Oliver was nowhere to be seen. He always talked about how he couldn’t care less about the company and how his parents pushed him to be the CEO, _but God damn him_ , it was their legacy. Of course he should be the one running the company. It can’t be Queen Consolidated if it was run by someone who wasn’t… _well, a Queen._

What if his absence had nothing to do with the company? What if he was actually avoiding her? _He couldn’t do that, could he_? He had been nice to her last night, he had driven her back home, wished her good night… He can’t hide forever!

He could be such a jerk sometimes, and it made her want to punch him in his perfect face.

Felicity’s frustration grew with each passing second, and thankfully when she was on the verge of tearing her hair out, her alarm rang, reminding her of her lunch date with her mother. Felicity picked her stuff from the desk and put them back in her bag as she headed to the exit. She successfully avoided Simon and grabbed a cab to her mother’s restaurant.

When she arrived, Felicity paid and got out of the cab. She stood still for a second just enjoying the warm and beautiful day, as the sun shone and threw rays of sunlight towards the restaurant. It was nice and cozy with a French vibe going on. Donna had made a gorgeous flower arrangement consisting of orchids, lilies, roses and many, many more. Felicity was extremely happy because the restaurant was doing well and was full almost all the time. Donna Smoak was one of those people that wanted everything to be perfect- from the food to the atmosphere, but at the same time nothing was too pricy, which explained the popularity of the place.

Felicity looked around and saw everyone enjoying their meals, laughing and talking with their companions. A smile crept on her lips as well, as she headed inside. Since it was summer, some people preferred staying out to feel the light breeze, while others preferred the coolness inside, thanks to the AC. She walked in, and soon she heard her mother’s laughter coming from the right. Felicity headed towards her mother’s voice and saw her.

She was laughing uncontrollably, while someone who stood with his back to Felicity was telling her something.

Felicity froze at the spot because she could recognize those shoulders anywhere.

_Oliver Queen…_

She started walking towards their table, when her mother finally spotted her.

‘Baby!’ Donna exclaimed and pulled Felicity’s hand squeezing it tightly.

‘Hey, Felicity!’ Oliver said with his smuggest grin.

‘Hi.’ Felicity tried smiling, but probably grimaced. ‘What’s going on here?’

‘Oliver was telling me about your night out last night.’ Donna laughed again.

Felicity saw red and shot an angry glare towards him. He hadn’t… He can’t have told her mother they had fucked. If he had…

‘What. Exactly. Did he tell you?’ Felicity asked through gritted teeth, never moving her eyes from Oliver.

‘Oh, chill,’ Donna rolled her eyes. ‘It’s perfectly fine, you don’t have to be ashamed from me.’

Felicity’s jaw dropped because, _holy Freaking Shit, Oliver had told her mother_ … And that was a terrible idea. Not only because she was, well, her mother, but because she had always tried to talk Felicity into dating Oliver. She was always trying to push Felicity towards him, and now just because they had had sex, Donna was going to jump to conclusions that they’re dating…

‘Mom, it isn’t what it looks like!’ Felicity started.

She saw Oliver looking up at her with his eyebrows furrowed, while her mother stopped laughing.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked in confusion. ‘Didn’t you go out last night?’

‘Yes, but-’

‘It’s okay, honey.’ Donna rolled her eyes. ‘Oliver told me you had a few drinks, and he had to bring you home.’

‘Oh.’ Felicity muttered simply.

She pursed her lips, as she instantly calmed down. Oliver hadn’t told her mother… _So, maybe Felicity had overreacted a little_. She looked at Oliver who was staring at her with an amused expression before he mouthed ‘ _What the fuck?_ ’ to her. She shrugged helplessly and looked back at her mother.

‘Felicity, why don’t you sit down? Next to Oliver?’ Her mother said. ‘My back hurts and I don’t want to move much.’

Felicity rolled her eyes at her mother’s obvious attempt to play matchmaker, but obliged and sat next to Oliver. She knew he and her mother always got on perfectly. But she couldn’t help wondering why he was here.

‘So…’ she looked at him. ‘Why are you here?’

‘Felicity!’ her mother scolded her.

‘I thought we were having girl time.’ Felicity explained.

‘Oliver’s always welcome to spend time with us, Felicity.’ Her mother smiled at him. ‘Now, what are you guys eating?’

‘Thanks, Donna,’ Oliver started. ‘But I don’t want to bother you on your girl time.’

‘Okay, then, see you at work!’ Felicity stood up so that he can get up and leave.

‘Felicity!!’ Donna exclaimed. ‘Oliver, that’s nonsense. You’re not bothering us.’

‘No, seriously,’ Oliver smiled to assure Donna it was fine. ‘I have to stop by my club to see a new delivery.’

Donna sighed. ‘Let me at least give you a cup of coffee and one of our Lindor muffins. They’re new in the menu. It’s like heaven in your mouth.’

Oliver chuckled, before nodding. ‘Alright then.’

‘And Felicity, I’ll get you the Caesar Salad, right?’ Donna said without even waiting for Felicity to answer.

When her mother was gone, Felicity turned to look at Oliver, who already had his eyes on her with a small smile on his face. The look in his eyes, made her want to melt in his feet. That was until she realized what he was doing.

‘Oliver,’ she said slowly. ‘Stop giving me the ‘Oliver Queen’ look. I told you it won’t work on me.’

He once again chuckled, revealing his perfect teeth. ‘I’m not giving you anything.’

‘Why are you here?’ she crossed her arms.

‘I needed to bring something from my mother, Jeez.’ Oliver sighed. ‘You know, about that Charity they’ll be hosting in a few weeks.’

‘Oh.’ Felicity nodded. ‘Good, how’s it going?’

‘It’s going great from I hear.’ Oliver started. ‘I’m surprised at how they even get something done with all that other talk about-’

He bit his lip mid-sentence, causing Felicity’s curiosity to grow.

‘Talk about what?’ she asked.

‘Nothing.’ He simply said. ‘Anyway, I should-’

‘Oliver!’ she stood in front of him, blocking his way. ‘What are our moms talking about?’

‘It’s not important, really.’ Oliver started, but when Felicity raised her brow suspiciously, he sighed. ‘They’re trying to play matchmakers.’

Felicity felt her cheeks going redder. ‘Who are they trying to match?’ she asked, afraid that she already knew the answer.

Oliver looked to the side, avoiding her gaze. ‘You know... Everyone.’

‘Everyone?’

‘Everyone.’

Felicity suddenly realized how close they were standing. She was feeling his warm breath against her forehead, as she closed her eyes for a second, just breathing him in. When she opened and focused them on his face again, she felt a feeling of contentment fill her heart. He held an emotion in his eyes, that she couldn’t quite put a name to, and when a slight crease appeared between his brows, she realized he probably couldn’t describe the feeling as well.

‘Okaaay!’ Donna’s cheerful voice broke then apart, causing Felicity to take a step back. ‘Oliver, these are for you and Felicity, Emma will bring your salad in a few minutes.’

‘Thank you, Donna.’ Oliver smiled as he took the package. ‘How much do I owe you?’

Donna’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Oliver!’ she slightly slapped his arm. ‘How many times have I told you?! You don’t owe us anything!’

Felicity saw that Oliver was about to argue, but when he looked down at her, she smiled at him with a shrug and he decided against it.

‘Thank you.’ He repeated. ‘Well, I’m gonna go. Please, don’t forget to call mom.’

‘I won’t, hon. Don’t worry.’ Donna reassured him with a pat on his shoulder.

‘Okay, then. Bye.’ Oliver smiled at her, before turning to look at Felicity. ‘See you later.’

‘See you later.’ She replied as she watched him walk away.

A sudden feel of loss filled her, and she couldn’t describe the reason for it. _It hadn’t been there two minutes ago, when Oliver was next to her._

‘He’s wonderful, isn’t he, Felicity?’

Felicity jumped slightly, when her mother’s voice rang in her ears. She looked at Donna, who was smiling knowingly, and snorted.

‘I wouldn’t say wonderful…’ Felicity spoke as she sat down again. ‘So… what’s up?’

‘I’m good.’ Donna smiled at her. ‘It’s Quentin’s first day back at work after our trip.’

‘How was New York?’ Felicity asked. ‘How’s Laurel doing?’

‘Well, Laurel’s… Laurel.’ Donna chuckled. ‘She’s fine. She took us sight-seeing and we went to that musical you want to see so badly.’

‘No way!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘You went to see Hamilton?’

‘Yeah.’ Donna shrugged. ‘I wasn’t too impressed. They were rapping and having political conversations… _Boring_.’

‘Oh, God.’  Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘I can’t believe they wasted a ticket for _you_. They should’ve just called me.’

‘Laurel asked about you.’ Donna spoke. ‘She said you should visit her soon.’

‘I’ve been working a lot these days.’ Felicity said. ‘But I’d love to… When I’m not so busy.’

‘She’s visiting us in two weeks.’ Donna informed. ‘And Sara’s coming back from her road trip on Sunday.’

‘That’s really nice.’ Felicity smiled. ‘Quentin is probably very excited to have both of his daughters here.’

‘He can’t wait for the five of us to hang out.’ Donna laughed. ‘Anyway, enough about me. How have you been these days? I know we talked everyday on the phone but, still.’

‘I’m fine.’ Felicity nodded. ‘Working and… stuff.’

‘Find a boyfriend already?’ Donna asked excitedly.

‘Jeez, Mom, no!’ Felicity winced.

‘Uh, Felicity…’ her mother rolled her eyes. ‘When will you finally introduce me to a guy?’

‘When there IS one, Mom.’

‘You’re not even looking!’ the older woman exclaimed. ‘Or… seeing what’s right under your nose!’

‘What are you talking about?’ Felicity furrowed her eyebrows.

‘I’m talking about you and Oliver… together.’

‘Mom, that’s NEVER going to happen!’ Felicity raised her voice slightly. ‘Get it in your brain once and for all!’

Suddenly, it hit her. _Was that what Oliver was talking about? Were both Donna and Moira trying to set them up_?

All of their past exchanges made sense. Donna and Moira had been pushing them towards each other for a couple of years now and she was only starting to see their plan recently. Oh, God… She couldn’t even imagine how embarrassed Oliver must’ve felt, listening to them. He wasn’t the type of guy to stick to a girl for long, and here they were…

‘Here you go, Felicity!’

Felicity looked up to see Emma, the waitress, smiling at her as she placed her salad in front of her.

‘Thank you, Emma.’ Felicity smiled back at her, as the girl walked away.

‘You know what, Felicity?’ Donna started once Emma was away. ‘I used to say that I’d never fall in love after your father. Look at where I am now.’

‘What are you trying to say, Mom?’ Felicity questioned.

‘I’m just saying…’ Donna winked. ‘Never say never.’

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Oliver was sitting in his office, reading some article about the USA volleyball team, when his door flew open. His eyes shot up and he saw Mr. Harrison Lee, from the I.T. department staring at him with wide worried eyes. His breathing was hard, clearly he had been running.

‘Mr. Queen, thank God!’ he let out a relieved sigh. ‘You’re here!’

‘Umm…’ Oliver quickly closed the sports tab on his browser and looked up. ‘Of course, I’m here!’

‘We have a problem!’ Harrison Lee spoke. ‘Remember that Elliot Anderson made a deal with Bruce Wayne last month about the new smart watches. Bruce wants to meet up with someone to talk about it.’

‘Okay…’ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. ‘I don’t see how that’s a problem.’

‘We don’t have anyone competent enough to go!’ Mr. Lee exclaimed.

Oliver laughed. ‘Of course we have. Mr. Anderson will go. It’s his project after all.’

‘See that’s where you’re wrong.’ Mr. Lee corrected. ‘First of all, Elliot is currently on a honeymoon with his wife.’

 ‘Oh, good for him.’ Oliver grinned.

‘Mister Queen!’ Mr. Lee waved his hands. ‘Please, take this seriously!’

‘Okay, okay…’ Oliver sighed.

‘The second thing is that this was Felicity Smoak’s project originally.’ Harrison confessed.

‘What?’ Oliver stood up. ‘It was hers?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then why did Anderson take the credit for it?’ Oliver asked furiously.

‘Mr. Queen, don’t be mad… It’s, it’s just-’

‘What is it?’ Oliver yelled. ‘Don’t stutter!’

‘Elliot Anderson made some… accusations at her and she… she sort of gave up the idea to him.’ Mr. Lee looked to the side. ‘You see, she was a woman and-’

‘It’s the 21st century, for God’s sake!’ Oliver said through gritted teeth.

‘Of course, Mister Queen.’ The other man spoke. ‘But… she got a promotion. She was employee of the month 3 times and now a new project?’

‘So?’ Oliver asked still not getting it.

‘Felicity Smoak is… a friend of the Queen family… She’s _your_ friend.’

Oliver’s eyes widened in anger. So that’s why Felicity didn’t want the promotion in the first place. That’s why she didn’t have lunch with her colleagues anymore. That’s why she’d given up _her own_ project for somebody else.

Because they thought she’d slept her way to the top.

Now, Oliver knew about the probable accusations and assumptions, but at the end of the day, he didn’t care because no one would be bold enough to say anything to him directly. He hadn’t thought for a second how much it would affect Felicity, who had been the butt of their jokes and rude remarks. Those people thought she’d gotten to where she was through him…

Oliver’s frustration only grew. How could those people not see how smart and independent she was? How wonderful and helpful she was? How generous and kind she was?

Okay, so she had sex with him, but that was not why he had promoted her! He had promoted her because she was the most hard-working person in the company!

‘Let me ask you something, _Lee_.’ Oliver spat. ‘How many projects did Felicity Smoak suggest in her 6 months here?’

‘Five.’ Lee muttered.

‘And how many of those were successful?’ Oliver asked again.

Lee cleared his throat. ‘Five.’

‘What time do you leave your workplace?’ Oliver continued.

‘Around 6:30 p.m. … Sometimes 7.’

‘Felicity Smoak leaves at 11 p.m.’ Oliver yelled.

‘Mr. Queen-’ Lee started before Oliver interrupted him.

‘Next time one of you, misogynists, complain about not being promoted, or not winning projects, I suggest you sit on your asses and work as hard as her!’ Oliver told the other man.

‘I apologize, Oliver.’ Mr. Lee spoke. ‘Let’s… let’s forget about this.’

‘Felicity should be the one to go and present her project.’ Oliver said. ‘I take no objection.’

‘Alright, alright…’ Mr. Lee sighed. ‘She’ll go. Today’s Tuesday, I’ll book her a ticket for Thursday, and arrange a meeting with Bruce on Friday.’

‘Bruce?’ Oliver asked.

‘Yes, Bruce.’

‘Not with the head of Wayne’s I.T. department?’

‘No. Dinner with Bruce Wayne.’

Oliver winced. Bruce Wayne was a notorious womanizer and he had a thing for smart and beautiful women like Felicity. _No, no, no. That won’t do_ … Felicity wouldn’t like it if Bruce flirted, would she? She would _probably_ want someone to keep Bruce away from her. She _probably_ needed _someone_ to be there and stop Bruce from flirting. She _probably_ hated it when men flirted with her…

 _Okay, maybe she didn’t…_ But Oliver sure as hell wasn’t gonna let Bruce try to make a move.

‘Book a room for me, too.’ He announced.

‘Excuse me?’ Mr. Lee asked.

‘You heard me.’ Oliver said. ‘I’m going with her. And Mr. Diggle’s coming with us, too.’

‘Aha…’ Mr. Lee pursed his lips. ‘How many rooms is that?’

‘Obviously three.’ Oliver rolled his eyes.

‘Plane tickets?’

‘No, Diggle will be driving.’ Oliver explained.

‘Okay.’ Mr. Lee said, before walking out.

Through his glass walls, Oliver saw Felicity walking in and giving Mr. Lee a smile when she passed him by. Suddenly, Oliver felt sorry for her. He’d ruined her relationships with her co-workers by giving her the promotion, but… _who could blame him?_ She deserved it more than anyone! Screw those people. She might have lost them, but she still had Oliver.

He waved her to come in, and after a few seconds she obliged.

‘What’s up?’ she asked.

‘Felicity, why didn’t you tell me the smart watches were your idea?’ he asked directly.

Her mouth fell open as her eyes widened. She bit her lip between her teeth and looked to the side, avoiding his gaze. Oliver was glad that at least she didn’t start arguing and lie to him.

‘Felicity,’ he spoke softly, as he took a few steps closer to her. ‘I… I’m not gonna pretend I understand how hard it must have been for you to listen to all that gossip and all the shit that was being said behind your back-’

Oliver stopped when he saw the sharp breath she took. Apparently, it had affected her more than she cared to admit. He walked closer until their bodies were almost pressed to each other and hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder.

‘But…’ he continued. ‘You have me on your side. And I know how hard you work for everything you’ve achieved. What’s more important, you know it too. You know your value.’

 Felicity looked up at him and Oliver’s stomach turned, when her blue eyes met him.

‘Don’t let irrelevant people make you feel down.’ He finished. ‘Because you, Felicity, are remarkable.’

Felicity blinked up at him a couple of times, before giving him a small and soft smile. ‘Thank you for remarking on it.’

Oliver bit his lower lip in an attempt not to smile, but just looking at her made that impossible.

‘Clear out your schedule for the weekend, by the way.’ Oliver informed her.

‘Excuse me?’ she asked with furrowed eyebrows, reminding Oliver of the cutest lost puppy.

‘Bruce Wayne wants to work together on your project so we’re going to Gotham.’ He announced.

‘What?!’ Felicity exclaimed, before a wide grin spread on her face. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Yeah,’ Oliver nodded with a smile, matching hers. ‘I made it clear that since this was your project, I’m not sending anyone but you.’

Her eyes widened at first and then she started jumping up and down from joy. Oliver laughed at her as a sense of peace and happiness filled him slowly in a way it hadn’t happened in a while.

His heart leapt at the sight of her feeling so happy. _And_ _it was because of him_. For the first time in so long, he felt cherished and appreciated and _loved_ …

Oliver knew she didn’t love him, but the way she was currently looking at him made him feel something that was close to love. It made him feel lighter and smarter. It made him feel like he can conquer the world as long as she kept on smiling back at him like that.

Dimpled cheeks, bright eyes, _kissable lips_ …

‘Anyway,’ Oliver shook his head slightly to clear his head. ‘Digg and I will be joining you.’

‘Oh, okay.’ Felicity nodded. ‘That’s great.’

‘We’re leaving on Thursday, the meeting’s on Friday.’ Oliver told her. ‘And then we could spend the weekend at Gotham.’

‘Sounds good to me.’ Felicity grinned.

As he watched her leaving his office, Oliver headed to his desk and sat on his chair, trying hard to push down these weird things he had been feeling for a while. With a sigh, he decided to leave figuring them out for later.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

‘Good evening. Welcome to Gotham Grande Hotel.’

Oliver eyed the young man behind the desk up and down. He had short dark hair and a cocky vibe going on, but what annoyed Oliver the most was the fact that the idiot didn’t even look up. With his peripheral vision he could see Felicity by his side shifting from one foot to another. Oliver looked at Digg’s direction and saw him staring at the young man with annoyance as well.

Oliver cleared his throat loudly to get the boy’s attention. When he jumped slightly, Oliver smirked, glad that he had succeeded.

‘Mister Queen!’ the guy’s eyes widened when he finally realized who he was speaking to. ‘It’s such an honor to meet you in person!’

‘Yes.’ Oliver confirmed. ‘I have three rooms booked for the weekend.’

‘O-of course!’ the guy started typing something on his computer. ‘I’m Tim. Wow, you’re even more gorgeous live, Mister Queen. Um, I mean… Not, well… May I have your ID cards? To register you.’

Oliver, Felicity and Diggle shared a look, before getting their documents out quickly and handed them to the guy.

‘Fe-li-ci-ty S-m-o-a-k.’ Tim read as he typed. ‘That’s an unusual name.’

‘Yeah, well, I have an unusual mother.’ Felicity responded, making the guy chuckle.

 _What the hell?_ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows at their little banter. _How unprofessional of that guy!_ He was flirting on his workplace, for God’s sake! _How dare he?_ Felicity wasn’t interested in that. Felicity wasn’t interested in _him_. The guy needed to back off now!

‘Which rooms?’ Oliver interrupted, as he stood between Felicity and him.

‘Oh,’ he blushed and opened a drawer looking for keys. ‘Here you go. 204, 205, 206.’

‘Thanks.’ Oliver said coolly and turned to Felicity. ‘C’mon, let’s go.’

‘Ummm, actually-’

Oliver raised an eyebrow at Tim, who’s just stood up and was looking nervously at Felicity.

‘May I help you?’ Oliver asked.

‘Miss Smoak, can I… can I speak to you?’ he blushed.

‘Oh!’ Felicity exclaimed, before turning towards Digg and Oliver. ‘Um… s-sure.’

She followed the guy back to the couch in the lobby, leaving Oliver and Digg standing by the front desk. By this point, Oliver was fuming, but clenched his teeth and looked at John.

‘What?’ he growled upon seeing John’s wide grin.

‘I told you. I’m not gonna comment on that until you’re ready.’ John shrugged. ‘And you’re _not_ ready yet.’

‘You’re annoying sometimes, you know that?’ Oliver bit.

‘And _you_ are annoying all of the time.’ John answered back with a small chuckle.

Oliver rolled his eyes, before looking at Felicity and Tim who were still speaking.

‘What does he even have to say to her?’ Oliver winced.

‘Well, Oliver, he can talk to her about anything and everything.’ John spoke.

Oliver shot him a look, before shaking his head. ‘What is taking so long anyway?’ he looked at his watch. ‘It’s been, like… 40 seconds already.’

At that Diggle who’d apparently been holding back, burst out laughing. Oliver looked at him with narrowed eyes, but when his friends wouldn’t stop, he just sighed and moved his attention back to Felicity and that Timmy guy. Suddenly, Felicity’s eyes widened and a blush crept on her cheeks. _What was going on? What had Tim told her?_

Felicity’s eyes slowly travelled back to where Oliver and Diggle were, before meeting Oliver’s gaze. He furrowed his eyebrows in question, making Felicity purse her lips. Then she brought her attention back to Tim.

‘Something’s wrong.’ Oliver said to Digg, who’d just stopped laughing.

‘What?’ John asked.

‘I don’t know but she seems uncomfortable.’ Oliver explained. ‘Okay, I’m going.’

He started walking towards Felicity and Tim, only to be grabbed by the arm by John.

‘Stop it.’ John said. ‘Sit your ass down. Leave the girl alone. You don’t own her.’

‘I know, I just-’

‘You made that choice when you screwed her first.’ Digg spoke, trying to keep quiet. ‘If you wanted to have a say in who she speaks and flirts with, you should’ve asked her out first.’

‘Why would I ask her out?’ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. ‘I’m not interested in dating her.’

John let out a heavy sigh. ‘Lord, you’re gonna give me a heart attack.’ He shook his head. ‘Oliver you’re one of those white people that make my mother snort and say ‘Pftt. White people…’. If you could just sit down and think for _one second_ where does that jealousy come from, you’d see-’

‘I’m not jealous!’ Oliver exclaimed.

Digg stopped talking and just blinked a couple of times. ‘For real?’

Just as Oliver was about to answer, he saw Felicity getting closer to them with her cheeks redder than tomatoes.

‘Ugh. Finally!’ Oliver commented. ‘What took you so long?’

‘He-’

‘You know what,’ Oliver interrupted her angrily. ‘I don’t care about your new boy toy. Let’s just go to our room because it’s pretty damn late.’

Felicity’s jaw fell slightly and for a second there was an emotion that was close to hurt, but Oliver couldn’t quite tell. Whatever it was, she masked it quickly as a look of anger and annoyance plastered across her face.

‘Yeah,’ she spoke. ‘You’re obviously curious, so I’m gonna tell you.’

‘No, you won’t!’ Oliver narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

‘Yes, I will!’

‘No!’

‘Shut up, Oliver!’ Felicity yelled. ‘I’m telling you, because he was talking about you!’

 _That little rat!_ Not only did he flirt with Felicity, but he was talking about Oliver behind his back! Oliver growled. This little fucker was dead. Just as he was about to walk to the guy, Felicity stood in front of him and pressed her palms to his chest.

Oliver’s breath hitched for a second, before his gaze locked with hers. A feeling of familiarity grew in his chest, like those were the hands that had touched him his whole life, the only hands that brought him double pleasure. His eyes fell on her lips, where her tongue had just licked its’ way around the corners, and in that moment there was nothing Oliver wanted more than to have her mouth on his again. The pink color she was currently wearing was testing his will power, as he imagined her leaving pink traces all over his body. _Not right now!_

He quickly blinked to put an end to this heated eye contact and saw her snapping her own glance away. Oliver watched her as she let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes for a second. An immodest smile grazed over his face, when he saw how affected she was as well.

‘He asked me if you were single and whether you would be interested in going to dinner with him.’ Felicity explained.

Oliver’s eyes widened.

‘What????’ Diggle exclaimed before bursting out laughing again. ‘This keeps getting better and better.’

‘S-so… What you’re saying… Are you-’ Oliver stuttered. ‘Is he, um…?’

‘Yes, Oliver, he’s gay.’ Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘Told him it’s not gonna work out, though.’

‘Oh,’ was all Oliver could say at first. ‘Well, thanks.’

‘Yeah,’ Felicity grabbed her suitcase and started walking to the elevator. ‘He’s such a nice fella. He won’t be able to handle your diva tantrums.’

She gave him a fake smile, as she left him, staring at her in confusion.

‘So,’ Digg spoke in between laughter. ‘How does it feel being jealous of a gay man?’

‘Shut up.’ Oliver muttered and started pulling his luggage after her, leaving a laughing Diggle behind.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Oliver tossed and turned in his bed for quite some time, before throwing the sheets off of him and sitting up. He was tired but for some reason he just couldn’t sleep. He was thinking about the deal tomorrow and even though he was sure Felicity was going to nail her presentation, he was still worried. He didn’t have an explanation for it, he just knew he was feeling uneasy.

He got up and did 20 pushups because this was usually what helped him fall asleep easier but this time, even the physical exercise couldn’t tire him enough.

He needed a drink…

Oliver walked back to his mini-bar and opened it. At the sight of an empty mini-fridge, Oliver cursed under his breath. He made a decision to go to the bar in the lobby, _it had to be open_! As he quickly put on a white T-shirt and grey sweatpants, he walked to the door and opened it.

‘OH MY GOD! IT’S OLIVER QUEEN!’

Before Oliver could even realize what was happening, he was blinded by the flashes of cameras from everywhere. He winced and covered his face with his arm.

_What was happening?_

Suddenly, he felt a few hands touching his shoulders, hips, hair, while some fell down to his ass making him snap. He moved his hand away and opened his eyes. The hall was full of screaming girls (and a few boys), begging for pictures, asking questions, and some even claiming he got them pregnant.

‘Can I have a picture?’ a blonde girl pressed herself to him.

‘Oliver, you never called me again!’ another female voice tried to get his attention.

The girls started pushing each other, and while they were arguing which one would take a picture with him first, he managed to open his door again and sneak back into his room.

_What the hell?_

He leaned on his door, focusing on the shouting outside his door.

Where had all these girls come from? And how did they know he was there?

Suddenly, the realization that had struck him made him pace towards the phone and dial the front desk.

‘Gotham Grande Hotel.’ A familiar voice that surely belonged to Tim answered. ‘How can I help you?’

‘Hi, Tim.’ Oliver greeted. ‘It’s Oliver Queen.’

‘Mr. Queen!’ the man on the other end exclaimed. ‘Why are you up so late?’

‘There are screaming girls on the other of my door.’ Oliver explained. ‘Any idea how they knew where I am exactly?’

For a moment there was silence, but Oliver was tired and grumpy and not in the mood for games.

‘Did you tell anybody?’ he asked furiously.

‘I, um…’ Tim muttered. ‘I might have mentioned it to my best friend. She must’ve told somebody.’

‘Yeah, try 20 people or more.’ Oliver exclaimed.

‘I’m so sorry about this, Mr. Queen.’ Tim apologized. ‘You should lock yourself in. In case someone tries to come into your room.’

‘Wait,’ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. ‘Aren’t you gonna have security escort them out?’

‘I would, but I sent two of the bodyguards home.’ Tim explained. ‘There’s only one left and he can’t leave his position. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.’

‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Oliver growled. ‘Where was he when these crazy females came in?’

‘Well, he’s got human needs as well.’ Tim spoke.

‘And you?’ Oliver snapped back.

‘I had to call my mother.’ Tim exclaimed. ‘She had a very tiring tri-’

Before Tim was finished Oliver ended the conversation and threw the phone on the nightstand.

So apparently he wasn’t going to be drinking or sleeping tonight with all these noisy girls outside. He lied down again and tried to ignore the shouting. After about 15 minutes of heavy sighs and angry growls, he stood up again and walked to the balcony. Opening the doors, he felt the cool night wind hitting him, causing shivers to travel down his spine. _Damn it was cold, but at least it was quiet here._

Oliver walked back into the room, took the sheets and wrapped himself with them like a burrito, before sitting on one of the chairs.

_He was going to sleep in a sitting position on his balcony…_

Closing his eyes, he readjusted on the chair. _He was going to sleep… Totally…_  

…

‘FUCK!’ Oliver exclaimed and stood up.

He looked at the sight of Gotham City at night from the balcony and let out a deep sigh.

He needed to find a solution. And he needed it quickly.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 _Knock_. _Knock_. _Knock_.

Felicity’s eyes flew open when she suddenly heard a noise. She’d always been a light-sleeper so even the smallest sound usually woke her up. She sucked in a breath and held it, trying to locate the source of the sound. When it didn’t come again, she turned on her side with her back to the window and closed her eyes again.

 _Knock_. _Knock_. _Knock_.

Her eyes shot open again. She lied flat on her back and lifted her head from her pillow, looking around the room, trying to see something. But the darkness and her poor vision weren’t really helpful.

 _Knock_.

God, where did that noise come from? She rose to her elbows and looked towards her window.

Felicity stiffened in terror when she saw a figure of a man on her balcony, knocking on the glass, trying to get in. Without even thinking, Felicity shouted and ran out of her bed.

_Knock. F’licty. Knock._

Just as Felicity was about to run out of the room, the person called her by her name, making her stop in her tracks. She turned the big lights on. The sudden lightness made her close her eyes for a few seconds but when she opened them again everything was much clearer. She stepped closer to the balcony, her mouth fell open when she met his tired, but still beautiful blue eyes.

 _Oliver_.

She hurriedly opened her balcony door, rushing out into the cold night air, her feet and bare thighs freezing because of her shorts and lack of socks.

‘Oliver,’ she breathed. ‘What are doing on my balcony? How did you get here?’

‘I parkoured.’ He shrugged.

‘You what?’ Felicity exclaimed and look to the side towards his balcony.

They were quite close, to be fair. All he had to do was hold onto the wall, walk slowly on the edge, jump slightly and he was here. For a regular person, like her, that would be hard, but Oliver was… _Oliver. Athletic, strong, bold_.

‘Why, why are you here?’ she asked again, looking up at him.

‘There’s too much noise in front of my door.’ He explained. ‘Tim told people where I was staying and-’

‘He did?’

‘Yeah.’ Oliver sighed. ‘I, um… I need a place to sleep and…’

Felicity’s eyes widened because… _was he asking her to sleep with her_? A blush crept on her cheeks because she’d never shared a bed with him before. Sure, they’d done more than that but… Felicity had always been very protective of her personal space and sharing a bed wasn’t something she loved to do. She could only do it only if the person was VERY close.

She remembered all the times Cooper had asked her to stay after sex, but she just couldn’t. Not that she didn’t trust him or anything. It almost felt like he wasn’t worthy of sharing a bed with her, as weird as that sounded.

‘Can I sleep with you?’ Oliver pulled her out of her musing.

Felicity blinked up at him a couple of times before answering.

‘O-okay.’

She didn’t even know why she’d said Yes to Oliver, but she realized that it wasn’t the first time he’d caused her to open up to him and allow him things other people weren’t even allowed to think about.

Hesitantly, Oliver walked to the left side of the bed, much to her delight, since she usually slept on the right.

They got under the covers, both keeping a good distance, lying on their backs. With her peripheral vision, Felicity saw him bringing his arm up and putting it under his head, so that his head was lying on his forearm.

A couple of quiet moments passed.

Felicity was exhausted but she just couldn’t close her eyes again right now. 

As time passed, both of them still lied wide awake, as silence stretched out between them. Neither of them felt the need to say something, because right now both of them needed that silent comfort.

 ‘Oliver…’ she finally spoke, as she turned her head to meet his eyes.

‘Yeah?’ he asked quietly and softly.

‘Why couldn’t you sleep?’ she pursed her lips. ‘Are you… nervous about the meeting with Bruce tomorrow?’

‘What? No!’ Oliver quickly denied.

But Felicity was no fool. Plus, she knew him way too well. She could see how his thumb rubbed his other fingers in a tic she had noticed a long time ago. He always did that when something was worrying him, and his reaction to her question proved her right.

She lied on her side so that she was fully facing him and raised her eyebrow playfully, making him let out a nervous chuckle.

‘I’m not… _nervous_.’ He spoke. ‘I know you’re gonna do great. Because you’re… _you_.’

Felicity gave him a small sweet smile, trying to hide the blush. He was so kind to her, always flattering her and looking at her as if she was a miracle. _Why was he this way_?

‘But at the same time, I’m me and I have the habit of destroying or ruining things.’ He shrugged slightly.

‘Where is that coming from?’ Felicity asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Oliver Queen had always been confident and cocky, but tonight Felicity got to see that small part of him that was so insecure, it broke her heart. _That_ insecure part of him was rarely exposed, but Felicity had noticed it always came out around her and that knowledge tugged at her heartstrings.

‘When I have something important coming up, I always have a… self-assessment session.’ He confessed. When she stood quiet, waiting for him to finish, he let out a heavy sigh before continuing. ‘Felicity, let’s be honest. I haven’t been the best son, brother, boyfriend or CEO. I always listen about what a wonderful CEO Ted Kord is or how sweet it was of Carter Bowen to send his parents on a romantic holiday for their anniversary. Don’t even get me started on Laurel and Samantha’s constant complaining about how I always disappointed them.’

His words sank in, leaving Felicity completely speechless from his confession. Oliver Queen who seemed so careless and indifferent to almost everything, was now vulnerable in front of her. He was sharing something that she was absolutely positive he’d never said to anyone before. Not Digg, not Tommy, not Thea. The worry and self-doubt she sensed in his tone left her stunned. She didn’t know what to say, so she continued to just stare at him, while he was still facing the ceiling. They lied on the bed in darkness, both of them lost in their own thought, as the only light was coming from the moon through the balcony.

‘Oliver,’ she spoke again before she could stop herself. ‘Please look at me.’

After a few moments of stillness, Felicity saw him turning his head towards her. It was funny how even though she had a terrible vision, and it was dark, she managed to see his eyes.

_Those beautiful mesmerizing blue eyes of his._

‘You are a wonderful son.’ Felicity started. ‘Both Robert and Moira love you so very much, I’m sure they’re willing to sacrifice their own lives for you. No matter what you’ve done or who you’ve been, they’re always going to support you. I can see through you, Oliver. You can say you don’t give a shit about your parents’ company all you want, but I’m the only one who sees how deeply you care about the job and the people who work there. How you say there till it’s 12 a.m. working through every problem.’

Oliver stiffened slightly next to her, before relaxing with small exhale.

‘And Thea…’ Felicity let out a quiet giggle. ‘She adores you. Oliver, you’ve given up on so much for her. Every time she needed something, you always helped her.’

Oliver nodded. ‘Yeah.’

‘Remember that time Thea and I almost went to jail because of the fight in front of that night club in Ibiza?’ Felicity continued. ‘You took the blame and spent 3 days in prison, before Tommy, Thea and I managed to get you out. I… I don’t know if I’ve ever said Thank you for that but, um, if I haven’t…’ she made sure to look into his eyes as she talked. ‘Thank you.’

‘I’ve said it before, Felicity.’ He spoke softly. ‘You never, _NEVER_ have to thank me.’

Felicity couldn’t explain it, but something happened to her whenever he spoke with that soft and quiet tone. She felt a connection to him, a connection so deep it scared her. She knew him so well, just as he knew her.

_It almost felt like they were two parts of one whole…_

‘About Laurel and… What’s-her-name,’ Felicity started again, making Oliver chuckle. ‘Apparently they weren’t the right fit. So don’t even bother thinking about them. When… the right girl comes you’re gonna know and _you_ are gonna give her everything because you’re going to want that. And she won’t be disappointed. Actually, quite the contrary.’

She saw a flash of something in Oliver’s eyes, as if he realized something very important, but Felicity couldn’t tell what it was, because Oliver closed his eyes and shook his head. _What was he thinking about?_

Had she said something to insult or offend him? Or did he found her little speech hilarious?

‘Felicity…’

She looked up to meet his eyes again, but quickly closed them as his mouth fell on hers. Surprised from his actions, Felicity stilled. This kiss was soft, no tongue, no teeth, just lips pressed to each other. Oliver didn’t deepen it, and after a few moments which felt like hours, he pulled away with a small smile on his face. Felicity felt as if a thousand butterflies were fluttering in her tummy.

‘Thank you.’ He said all of a sudden.

Felicity was sure that if she was standing up, her knees would buckle.  

‘It was nothing.’ She answered. ‘You’re welcome to do this again… Talk to me, I mean! Share if you need to… Not, not kiss me. Not that I hated it but… God… You get what I mean.’

Oliver chuckled. ‘I do.’ Then he smiled. ‘C’mon, let’s sleep.’

‘Yeah, let’s…’ Felicity agreed.

They both lied facing each other, looking into each other’s eyes. The intensity in his was soon too much for Felicity to handle, so she closed hers. For a few moments after that, she could still feel his gaze on her. _She didn’t know how, but she did._

And if usually being watched made her scared or uncomfortable, for the first time in her life it made her feel different.

Having Oliver’s eyes on her made her feel safe. It made her feel calm. It made her feel happy.

Before she could stop herself, she moved closer to him, snuggling into his chest. Oliver stiffened at the contact and Felicity immediately wanted to get up bang her head against the wall.

‘I, um…’ she stuttered into him. ‘I’m cold and I’ve been trying to get warmer the whole night. I can move away if you-’

Before she had finished, Felicity moved back into her side of the bed and closed her eyes, trying to avoid his gaze and make things more awkward.

‘Good night.’ She muttered under her breath.

She was such a fool. How could she snuggle into Oliver? After he’d kissed her? _God, she must look so pathetic in his eyes now_. And why had he kissed her anyway? Why did he g-

Her internal ranting was interrupted by two strong and warm hands, reaching out for her and pulling her to the chest she’d pressed herself into a few moments earlier. Felicity blinked rapidly a few times, as Oliver’s arms wrapped around her body, cocooning her in his warmth and strengthening those feelings in her she couldn’t even describe herself.

‘Good night, Felicity.’ He whispered.

Felicity felt herself smiling at the general feeling of warmth and rightness. She was so small in his embrace. This right here was the most peaceful and content moment in her life, Felicity was sure of it.

‘Oh, and just so you know,’ Oliver spoke softly again. ‘I’ve been pretty cold myself, too.’

Felicity couldn’t stop herself from smiling, as she pressed her body closer to his, happy at their newfound warmth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I feel like I need to explain that the 'newfound warmth' was metaphorical. It wasn't about the temperature in the room, it was about the 'newfound warmth' in their relationship. They're growing closer and slowly becoming aware of their feelings and that's going to continue in future chapters. But I know you, guys, are smart and probably figured it out without this small explanation :D   
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, please give me kudos and write comments saying what you thought! It makes me really happy. ^_^ And feel free to message me on twitter( @Berry_Sabit ) or tumblr (xoxo-wild-one.tumblr.com), I love talking to you! <3   
> Goodbye for now, see you soon! ^_^


	8. Chapter 7- I pick my poison and it's you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiii! <3  
> Where do I start...  
> First of all, I want to apologize for the delay. ;( Some of you know that I started Medical University and it's, well... HELL! I love everything about it, but there is SO MUCH to study which means I don't have enough free time to write. Sadly, I think that this is how it will be from now on, meaning I won't post a new chapter every week (I will be lucky if I can post a new chapter every two weeks lol :D). BUT I'm not leaving the story, I love it way too much to just... drop it. I have so many amazing things planned and I am not done with this version of Olicity. I will also post a few one shots because I got some great ideas, but I don't know when lol :D.  
> Secondly, thank you for your support with this story. It means the world to me and I hope I won't disappoint you with the plot or the fact that studying is getting in the way. I hope you understand and that you'll still read and wait for new chapters <3  
> The wonderful cover is made by Victoria: victori96572376 on twitter. <3  
> This story is not beta-d, so forgive me for my mistakes. (I edited at 2 a.m. after spending the day studying Latin and Chemistry :D so yeah)  
> The chapter's title is from Rita Ora's 'Poison' and I think it suited Olicity for this chapter, you'll see why *wink*.  
> Without further ado, here's chapter 7. Happy reading, hope you enjoy ^_^

 

Felicity woke up, a feeling of satisfaction filling her whole body, as she stretched her legs. She continued lying in bed, not even bothering to open her eyes. A smile spread on her face. The sun was caressing her bare legs, making her feel as warm as she was on the inside.

She hadn’t slept that well in so long. Usually, she’d wake up from a nightmare or a weird dream or even worse- her alarm. This morning, however, there were no alarms to mess up with her biological clock. 

Deep inside, Felicity knew the reason behind this. It was because the feeling of Oliver’s arms and body tangled with hers was so familiar, yet so new and that knowledge had put her at ease. She’d fallen asleep, knowing that she was safe. That she was not alone.

Felicity reached an arm to his side of the bed, just to feel the warmth of his skin. Upon touching the bed sheets, she frowned. She opened one eye, only to see the bed empty. She opened her other eye as well and stood on her elbows.

‘Oliver?’ she called.

No answer.

‘Oliveeeer?’ she tried again.

No answer. Again.

Felicity stood up and walked to the bathroom. She knocked before walking in to find the bathroom empty as well. Furrowing her eyebrows, she walked out and headed to the balcony. There was no sign of Oliver there as well.

Felicity couldn’t help the frown. So, he’d left her alone.

She sat on the bed for a few long minutes, completely numb, except for those moments when she was feeling a weird pang in her heart.

She was alone.

Oliver was gone. Asshole ‘Ollie Queen’ was back.

He was gonna continue putting on an act, he was gonna play the same game he always did.

Felicity let out a humorless chuckle, smiling bitterly.

 _Fine_.

Little did _he_ know, two could play this game.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Felicity was pissed.

Oliver had no idea why, but here she was, pissed. Ever since she’d come out of her room, she had barely said a word to him, mostly talking to Diggle. Oliver had tried to butt in a few times, which had earned him a few nasty looks from Felicity. Why the hell was she giving him the silent treatment? What had he done?

_What was her problem? Everything had been perfect last night…_

Oliver was feeling like shit. Unlike last night and this morning.

God, he’d woken up feeling on top of the world. Having Felicity snuggled up in his arms had caused his heart to skip a few beats. It had just felt so… right, for a lack of a better word. Oliver couldn’t explain in what way _right_ , but it just was. He hadn’t spent the night at a girl’s place like that in… over 3 years, when he’d dated Samantha. It had been nothing compared to how he’d felt this morning here, with Felicity.

For a second, Oliver had almost wanted to be in a relationship. But not like the ones he’d had before with Laurel, Samantha or whoever. No, he wanted a real one. One where your partner actually supported you, without judging. One where your partner actually had your back and cared about your personal needs. One where your partner appreciated you and everything you do for them. One where your partner loved you and you loved them back.

Oliver had been looking at Felicity for a while, how calm she was in her sleep and how evenly she breathed, and mumbled from time to time. That was when Oliver had started wondering what it would be to be in a relationship with _her_ , in particular.

 _He would probably wake up every morning with her snuggled up with him, just like that. Then they’d have breakfast and talk about what’s coming._ God, Oliver was willing to pay an awful lot of money just to be able to drink his coffee in peace with her grinning back at him, wearing nothing but black panties and a white T-shirt. His eyes had lingered on her bare legs that were currently tangled up with his own. He had licked his lips, fighting the urge to slide his hand over her smooth thighs.

 _Then they’d go to work together and when it was lunch time, they’d go to Donna’s restaurant, where Donna would make a thousand comments about how cute they look together. Felicity would tell her to stop talking and Oliver would laugh at the way her blush went lower and lower. Then they’d get back to work and afterwards they’d visit his family at the Queen Mansion. Moira would not so subtly say she wants grandchildren and Oliver would tell her they haven’t talked about it._ _Although, to be honest, he would have probably thought about it_. _Finally, the two of them would go back home and he’d make sweet, sweet love to her._

 _Yeah, her future boyfriend will be a lucky man,_ Oliver had thought to himself this morning.

And then he had remembered why he had sworn off relationships. He wasn’t good at sharing, never had been, never would. He was scared of commitment, because he didn’t want to disappoint more people than he already had.

 Okay, so maybe he shared a lot with Felicity, and he tried to make her proud most of time, but that was different. She was his friend, his sister’s best friend. Just because things worked out with Felicity didn’t mean he wanted to have a relationship with her.

Oliver’s thoughts had then made a 180 turn to how gorgeous she’d looked, just in her pajamas, her hair messy, her jaw hanging open slightly. This image had caused him to groan slightly, because all he had wanted to do this morning was wake her up and beg her to do it again with him.

Usually, Oliver didn’t like to repeat girls. He only did it when he was desperate and didn’t feel like looking for a new girl. However, for a while, for some weird reason, he didn’t even want to hook up with a random girl because all of his sexual appetite was directed towards Felicity. He had wanted to sleep with her for 6 years, and after all these long, long years full of frustration, he’d hoped that once she gave in, they’d be good. Surprisingly, not only it hadn’t worked, but it made him want her even more. Again, and again, and again.

When he felt himself going harder, Oliver had cursed quietly, hoping he wouldn’t wake Felicity up. He had looked down and literally seen his member growing through his sweatpants. A wave of embarrassment had rushed through his body. He knew that if Felicity woke up and found him like this, she’d figure out why he was in this state and things could awkward between them. That’s why, Oliver had snuck out of her room, the same way he’d gotten in last night- through the balcony, like he hadn’t even been there.

So, yes… Oliver had no idea why she spent the whole day after that, almost completely ignoring him. Every time he asked her if she was okay, she told him she was fine and that everything is the way it’s always been.

_What was that supposed to mean?_

Here he was now, sitting in the back of the car with Felicity right next to him. She was talking to Digg, while he was driving and laughing, and Oliver was feeling like an outsider.

He let out a deep sight and leaned back on his seat, crossing his arms. Right now, he wasn’t sure he was going to survive this business dinner with Bruce and his assistant and he had less than 10 minutes to man up and stop pouting. He knew he was acting stupid, but he couldn’t help it. He was so frustrated with Felicity’s coolness towards him and her unwillingness to tell him what was wrong.

Soon, Digg pulled over and Felicity wasted no time with getting out of the car.

‘Hey, hey!’ Oliver got out as well. ‘You wanna do this business dinner alone?’ he spat out.

Felicity narrowed her eyes. ‘No.’

‘Then you’re gonna wait for me!’ Oliver said angrily.

‘Okay.’ John stepped between them. ‘I think both of you need to cool down a bit.’

‘I’m fine.’ Oliver and Felicity said at the same time.

John looked between the two of them and shook his head. ‘One day, I’m gonna die because of you two. Stop acting like children and get in there.’

Felicity crossed her arms and started walking towards the restaurant. Oliver let out a growl of frustration, before meeting Digg’s judgmental glare.

‘She started it!’ Oliver pointed towards her. ‘I don’t even know what her problem is!’

‘Just go.’ John told him. ‘She’s gonna be fine soon. As long as you don’t do anything else to piss her off.’

‘What did I do in the first place?’ Oliver asked helplessly, only to be pushed towards the restaurant by Diggle.

He started walking, mumbling under his breath about how he would never understand women, but as soon as he was close enough for Felicity to hear him, he stopped. They shared a quick look before Oliver opened the door for her to walk in and he followed her. Both of them started looking around, until Oliver finally saw Bruce Wayne sitting at one table, a dark-haired woman, who was probably his assistant, situated in front of him with her back towards Oliver and Felicity.

‘There.’ Oliver pointed so that Felicity could follow his gaze.

‘Okay, let’s do this.’ She said.

Just as she started walking, Oliver grabbed her by the arm to stop her. She looked down at where he was holding her and moved her eyes up to meet his.

‘What?’ she asked.

‘I just wanted to let you know that I believe in you.’ He spoke quietly so that the rest of the people around them wouldn’t hear. ‘I don’t know what I did to piss you off, and I know you’re angry with me but… just so you know, you’ll always have me in your corner. To support you.’

He tried really hard to keep himself from smiling, when he saw how her features softened slightly. She nodded once and with her free hand patted his chest, causing a fire to start at the spot right over his heart.

‘Let’s go and wow him.’ She gave him a small smile, which he returned.

They both started walking towards Bruce’s table, Oliver feeling lighter now that Felicity wasn’t as angry. A second later, the other CEO saw them and stood up, fixing his suit.

‘Good evening!’ he greeted, straightening his hand.

‘Hello, Bruce!’ Oliver smiled, shaking his hand. ‘It’s nice to see you again.’

‘You too.’ Wayne then moved his gaze towards Felicity.

 _Oh, no! It was starting_ … Oliver had been bracing himself for that moment ever since he’d first learned that Felicity would be meeting Bruce. But being here, now, and actually seeing the guy _DECIDE_ to hit on Felicity was a different thing. Oliver felt his jaw clenching with an anger that he couldn’t express at the moment, and keeping it in was making him even more frustrated. He looked between Bruce and Felicity and… _was she blushing? God fucking damn it…_

‘Hi! I’m Bruce Wayne.’ The other guy introduced himself.

‘I know who you are.’ Felicity responded. ‘You’re… Mr. Wayne.’

‘No, Mr. Wayne was my father.’ Bruce corrected. ‘You can just call me Bruce.’

‘Okay… Bruce.’ She shook his hand. ‘I-’

‘This is the head of my IT department- Felicity Smoak.’ Oliver butt in.

‘Yeah.’ Felicity shot him a look. ‘That’s me.’

‘Beautiful and intelligent.’ Bruce kissed her hand. ‘You don’t meet women like that very often.’

Oliver saw red. Bruce had just set his eyes on her and was already flirting. He should just step back and mind his own business, _dammit_. He wasn’t the man for Felicity Smoak.

Then another realization hit Oliver- he wasn’t the man for her, either. And there was nothing he could do about this situation if Felicity actually fell for Bruce.

The bitter taste in his mouth was soon gone, as a feminine voice spoke, making his blood run cold.

‘Well, there aren’t many women like Ms. Smoak and I, Bruce.’

He knew that voice. He hadn’t seen the woman in years… Oliver froze, but unclenched his jaw, only for it to drop. His eyes widened and every atom of his body was telling him to grab Felicity by the hand and run away from the restaurant. Fuck the deal.

Oliver had promised himself he’d somehow live through dinner with Bruce. He sure as hell wasn’t prepared for this.

He wasn’t prepared for Isabel Rochev at all.

‘Hello again, Oliver.’

Oliver looked at her, just as she was standing up. She had a tight black dress, her dark hair in perfect curls, framing her face. Her features were just as sharp as always, eyes- just as cold as always.

She looked 10 years older than him, and Oliver found himself wondering what had made her appealing to him 4 years ago, that he had jumped in bed with her.

He felt his palms sweating and fought the urge to just wipe them on his pants. Felicity shouldn’t know. She was just starting to feel better about him, and knowing about him and Isabel wouldn’t be good.

He knew Felicity usually disliked his girlfriends and hook-ups, which didn’t really make sense to him, but he respected that and always tried to avoid his exes. Not only for himself, but for Felicity, as well. He hated making her feel uncomfortable and Isabel was definitely going to make her feel uncomfortable.

‘Hello!!!’

Oliver’s eyes snapped up to meet Isabel’s, who was currently waving her hand in front of his face with a slow gesture.

‘Sorry, I must’ve spaced out.’ Oliver cleared his throat. ‘Hello, Ms. Rochev.’

‘Why the formality, _Oliver_?’ Isabel asked.

She let her hand fall down to her body and gave him something that looked like a fake smile. The difference between her and Felicity was so striking. Isabel with her cold dead eyes could never have the spark and liveliness in Felicity’s blue orbs. Her attempt to look sexy in dark clothes was weak and noticeable, while Felicity with her red dress hugging her perfect curves was the definition of ‘innocent, yet playful’ without even trying. Isabel’s raven hair was so unwelcoming to touch, unlike Felicity’s golden hair, tied in a ponytail, making Oliver want to run his fingers through her sunshine locks. Isabel sucked the light out of the room, while Felicity brought it back.

‘You two know each other?’ Bruce asked.

‘We more than know each other.’ Isabel spoke with a low sultry voice.

Oliver squeezed his eyes shut for a second to hide the embarrassment he was feeling. He was scared to look at Felicity, but when he opened his eyes, they automatically looked for hers.

Just like he thought, he saw surprise mixed with annoyance. Apart from those, her eyes held an emotion, that Oliver didn’t know how to call, but if he had to put a name to it, it would probably be pain.

‘Well,’ Bruce broke the silence to speak to Felicity. ‘This is my assistant- Isabel Rochev.’

‘My pleasure.’ Isabel stretched her hand and Felicity took it.

‘Me too.’ The blonde woman spoke.

‘Mr. Queen sure knows how to pick us, huh?’ Isabel remarked.

Oliver’s eyes shot up at hers. Oh, hell no! She couldn’t still be mad at him for not calling her after their rendezvous.

‘E-Excuse me?’ Felicity furrowed her eyebrows. ‘I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Babe, I’m sure you know _exactly_ what I mean.’ Isabel winked at Felicity and sat down next to Bruce.

Oliver moved his gaze to Felicity, whose mouth was open as she was staring at Isabel.

‘Felicity-’ Oliver started, but stopped when she shot him a mean look.

‘Don’t!’ she whispered with a threatening tone.

He pursed his lips and sat down in front of Bruce, and made space for Felicity.

‘So,’ Bruce started once the waiter had taken Oliver and Felicity’s order. ‘The smart watches were a brilliant idea. I must say, Ms. Smoak, I was impressed when I heard about them.’

‘Wait,’ Isabel interrupted. ‘Didn’t Elliot Anderson invent them?’

‘No, it was all Felicity’s idea.’ Oliver spoke proudly, desperate to soften Felicity, who seemed unwilling to meet his gaze.

‘Well, I personally think that they’re not of great use.’ Isabel said matter-of-factly. ‘But of course, I’m not really a computer nerd so what do I know?’

The biting remark was more than clear in her tone, and if she wasn’t a woman, Oliver would’ve punched her for her rudeness.

He looked over at Felicity and his heart broke at the sight of her pursing her lips, trying to stay calm. Oliver wanted to wrap his arms around her, tell her not to listen to what anybody had to say, tell her that she was the best and deserved everything she got. It was clear that Isabel had the same mindset as Felicity’s colleagues, all of them assuming that Felicity got her job on her knees. A young and pretty girl, fresh out of college, promoted to head of IT after 6 months… It looked exactly like what people thought.

However, this was Felicity. Not some dumb blonde bimbo. This was Felicity, the kindest and smartest person Oliver had ever met, who was willing to help anybody in need. How many times had she taken other people’s shifts so that they could go on that dream vacation of theirs? How many times had she tried to involve them in projects so that they could get some extra cash as well?

Felicity wasn’t a nerd… She was smart and loved her job to bits. Seeing all of these people trying to bring her down, scared Oliver. Because he was afraid that one day she’d lose her enthusiasm for her job, or worse… that one day she won’t be able to take the heat anymore and she’d quit.

‘You don’t have to be a ‘computer nerd’ to appreciate the watches.’ Felicity said coolly.

‘No offence,’ Isabel continued. ‘I just don’t see the appeal.’ She then looked at Bruce. ‘I mean, what’s the difference between them and a phone?’

For a second Bruce looked at her, and it seemed like he was indeed contemplating her question, and then he looked at Felicity, clearly waiting for her to explain.

‘Huh…’ Felicity snorted, trying to hide her annoyance by the other woman. ‘What’s the difference?’

‘Yes, Miss Smoak.’ Isabel almost rolled her eyes. ‘The difference.’

‘Miss Rochev,’ Felicity started. ‘How long does your battery on your phone last?’

Isabel coughed. ‘About a day.’

‘A day?’ Felicity grinned at her.

‘Yes, Miss Smoak.’ Isabel gritted her teeth. ‘But I take calls and make appointments daily. I’m constantly on the Internet reading articles, informing myself. I’m a busy woman.’

‘Oh, I’m sure you are.’ The sarcasm in Felicity’s tone crystal clear. ‘Now, I was saying, usually phones’ batteries last about 2, or 3 days if you’re lucky. Can you imagine having an important conversation and you phone dying? Not cool. That won’t happen with the smart watches’

Oliver looked between her and Bruce and Isabel, who were both intrigued in her words. While Bruce was genuinely curious, Isabel was waiting for an opportunity to argue. Felicity, however, was determined and looked like she wasn’t going to let anything get in her way.

‘You see, the watches don’t need batteries.’ Felicity smiled as she took one out of her purse.

She disassembled it quickly and there was no battery in there, indeed. Oliver saw Bruce raising his eyebrows in surprise, looking really impressed, while Isabel seemed like she wanted the Earth to open and swallow her. Oliver grinned and looked at the blonde, feeling pride fill him. People could say whatever they wanted about Felicity but she always got up on her feet, and stood stronger. She wasn’t going to let Isabel ruin the project and that was obvious in her eyes. They sparkled with a fire of determination, her smile grew wider with each word and her confidence in herself and her abilities was 100% justified.

If Oliver had to be honest with himself, the way she looked right now in her red dress, she was the pure description of ‘femme fatale’. And it turned him on like nothing had ever before.

‘-they are powered by the Sun.’ Felicity re-built the watch again. ‘Here you can see the system which is programmed-’

‘But what about the cold winter days when there’s no sun?’ Isabel asked with fake-interest.

‘Well,’ Felicity smiled. ‘Just one hour in the sun is enough to keep the watch working properly for 5 or 6 days.’

‘This is just a prototype. It hasn’t been tested out yet.’ Isabel continued. ‘How are you so sure it actually works so well?’

Felicity glared at her for a couple of seconds before answering. ‘Because I invented it.’

A few awkward moments of silence passed, as Isabel and Felicity participated in a deadly stare-down, while Bruce and Oliver were on the verge of crawling under the table.

‘Okay,’ Bruce let out a small nervous chuckle. ‘You got me. I believe you.’

‘But-’ Isabel started, only to be interrupted by Bruce.

‘We’ve got a deal, Mr. Queen.’ Bruce stood up and reached for Oliver’s hand.

Oliver stood up and shook the other man’s hand, catching Felicity’s victorious smile.

The rest of the night went by calmly.

Felicity was practically beaming, her sweet little dimples poking both her cheeks as she laughed at different stories that Bruce shared. Oliver was sitting on his chair, smiling at his blonde friend, feeling his chest fill with pride for her. She had made it. She had proved what a great employee she was. And not only to her colleagues, but to Bruce Wayne himself. The petty side of Oliver made him grin widely, because Felicity was one of the best in her field and CEOs from all over the country wanted an employee like her. Good-looking, smart, confident, skilled, talented and capable. They all wanted people like her, but she only wanted to stay at QC.

_She was only his. Well, not his like… his, but…_

Oliver shook his head and cringed slightly. What were those thoughts and why were they such a common occurrence?

He valued Felicity so much as a person and a co-worker and seeing how hard she tried to keep the company on top, made him realize that despite his I-couldn’t-care-less attitude, he wanted the same thing as her. He wanted the firm to thrive and he wanted to make his family proud. He knew he didn’t have college degree and he wasn’t the smartest guy but he wanted to prove himself. He wanted to finally get rid of those shadows from his past. Shadows and fears that have haunted him for years, making him seem unreliable and incapable in people’s eyes and in his own. He wanted to prove himself wrong. Hell, he wanted to prove everyone wrong.

And he wanted to prove Felicity right.

 _‘I can see through you, Oliver… I’m the only one who sees how deeply you care about the company…_ _You are a wonderful person.’_

He was not alone. And she believed in him. That was enough.

‘You, miss Smoak, are an amazing woman!’

Bruce’s voice pulled Oliver out of his musing, making him look at the other man leaning closer to _his_ … to Felicity with a half-smirk that Oliver knew all too well. _This fucker_ …

This fucker was… attracted to Felicity! Oliver’s jaw dropped slightly, when he saw Felicity talking to Bruce, making him laugh, as his hand casually dropped on her thigh. _How dare he?_

Oliver stood still with a calm expression on his face, but deep inside he was fuming. He knew that Felicity was very _likeable_ , indeed, but he hated seeing this play out in front of him. He didn’t like seeing Bruce trying to charm his way into her pants. The mere sight of his hand on her knee made Oliver’s chest tighten with anger.

Another thing that bothered him was the fact that Felicity allowed him to touch her leg. An unknown feeling deep inside made Oliver wonder how she’d react if _he_ did the same. Would she frown at him and tell him to move his hand? Would she let him keep it there? Would she touch him too?

Oliver would never let her know, but for a while now she’d been the focus of his thoughts and dreams. When they were at the office he often wanted to pull her hair tie and do her on his desk again. At meeting whenever she was chewing that red pen, he often imagined what that mouth would feel like wrapped around him. At night, he’d think about doing it slow and lazy until they were both exhausted. The worst thoughts, however, had nothing to do with sex and that scared the hell out of Oliver. He’d think of her when he was alone in his office. Nothing in particular, just _her_. He’d think of her laugh, or smile, or even frown. He’d think of her babbles and puns. He’d think of those times they’d spent together throughout the years and he’d smile at those memories. So yes, Oliver thought about Felicity a lot more than he’d admit.

No matter what was going on in his life, she was always there, right next to him. She was _his_ happy memory and he hated seeing Bruce trying to make her his happy future. 

Just as Oliver was about to open his mouth to talk, a clearing of a throat made him look to his side and face a woman he’d been avoiding for a long time.

‘So,’ Isabel smiled at him. ‘You never called.’

Oliver pursed his lips, before smiling back. ‘I got back with my girlfriend.’

‘And you cheated again.’ Isabel reminded him.

‘I… I did but-’

‘With her sister, yeah?’ Isabel chuckled. ‘Poor Laurel.’

Oliver clenched his jaw, but tried to keep himself under control. It was obvious Isabel wanted to piss him off. Unfortunately for him, it was working. He looked towards Felicity whose cheeks were now so red she could probably explode. It made Oliver furrow his brow in a silent question. What were they talking about? Why was Felicity blushing? And why did Bruce seem so goddamn pleased with himself?

‘You like her or something?’ Isabel spoke right in his ear, causing him to jump slightly.

‘Jeez,’ Oliver put his hand over his chest. ‘Don’t do that again.’

‘So you do?’ she raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you jealous?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Oliver whispered to her, trying not to be heard by Felicity and Bruce.

‘Oh my God,’ Isabel leaned closer to him with a huge grin. ‘You are, you are jealous. You like little miss Perfect.’

‘Isab-’

‘You want to make her your Mrs. Felicity Queen?’

‘Stop it!’ Oliver spoke through gritted teeth.

‘Oliver?’

He turned his head to find Bruce staring at him and Isabel in amusement, while Felicity looked… upset? There was a slight crease between her eyebrows, which she quickly got rid of by raising her eyebrows once.

Only then did Oliver realize that he and Isabel were right in each other’s personal space, leaning towards each other.

 _Shit_ …

He quickly straightened and put a good distance between them. Isabel looked between him and Felicity and slowly repeated his action with a smug smirk.

‘I asked you a question, Oliver.’ Felicity said coolly.

‘I-I’m sorry,’ Oliver started. ‘Could you repeat?’

Felicity rolled her eyes, ever so slightly, trying to be discreet, but Oliver caught her. ‘I asked whether Mr. Anderson showed you the prototype or was this the first time you saw it too.’

‘Well, he only spoke about a few times.’ Oliver answered. ‘But now I actually saw it. Working.’

‘Right.’ Felicity said and turned to talk to Bruce.

The rest of the night went by, the four of them talking. Bruce often switched to tech talk and Oliver hated it, because he just couldn’t keep up. He saw how animatedly Felicity spoke and even though he wasn’t enjoying the conversation, he let it be, just because she apparently was happy with it. He grabbed his phone and saw a few texts from Tommy, Thea and his mother, asking about his day, the diner and, of course, Felicity. Just as he was about to answer he heard Bruce, suddenly changing the topic of the conversation.

‘… Maybe we could go horseback riding tomorrow?’

Oliver froze in his seat. He wanted to type back a message to Thea, but his fingers didn’t work.

_Was this dude serious? Had he just asked Felicity out? In front of him? How dare he?_

Only when he felt a sharp pain in his jaw did he realize he’d been clenching it. There was a burning sensation in his stomach going up that he tried to swallow down. He slowly looked up and his blue eyes got a shade greener. He tightened his fists and if it had been possible, his eyes would’ve seared holes though the other businessman. He just couldn’t stand the sight of him laughing and talking to Felicity anymore.

‘Oh!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Um-’

‘ _WE_ … would love to.’

Before Felicity could even open her mouth to answer, Oliver took the opportunity to butt in. With the corner of his eye, he saw Felicity’s head turning towards him, her mouth hanging slightly. He didn’t want to meet her eyes, not right now.

‘Uh, okay, great. I-I guess we could… all go… _together_.’ Bruce nodded sharply, before looking at his assistant. ‘Isabel, what time are we free tomorrow?’

Isabel blinked a few times at him, before snorting. Clearly, she was just as pleased as Oliver with Bruce’s affection towards Felicity. She got her phone out, dragged her finger over the screen a few times and then answered.

‘We have a gap from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.’ Isabel informed. ‘Is 5:30 okay with you?’

The annoyance in her tone was visible, but Oliver couldn’t care less about her.

‘Perfect.’ Oliver grinned.

‘Okay, then.’ Bruce pursed his lips, making Oliver’s smile widen.

Oliver was acting like a piece of shit, he knew it. He knew Bruce didn’t want to make this a business meeting, he wanted to go horseback riding alone with Felicity. But that would happen when pigs started flying or after Oliver died. For now, Felicity wasn’t going to spend a second alone with Bruce Wayne.

‘Well, would you look at the time…’ Isabel looked at her wrist-watch. ‘It’s almost 10:30 p.m. Mr. Wayne. We should head out.’

15 minutes later the 2 couples headed out of the restaurant and when they spotted their car rides they split. Oliver walked a few steps behind Felicity seeing that she’s still mad at him for… God knows what. When they reached the car, she walked in and soon he followed her in.

‘Hey, you two.’ John greeted.

‘We’re not a two.’ Felicity corrected. ‘We are one and one.’

Oliver saw red upon hearing her unnecessary comment. The small fire that he’d felt throughout the whole day, suddenly became stronger and burned harder.

‘Uh oh.’ John started the car. ‘What happened?’

‘Felicity’s been a jerk to me the whole day.’ Oliver finally spat out.

With the corner of his eye, he saw Felicity stiffen in her seat. _Good_. Now, if she would only talk to him…

‘Excuse me?’ she spoke with a low, almost threatening tone.

‘You heard me.’ Oliver said coolly. ‘You’ve been ignoring me all day. You’re clearly mad at me for… What? What have I done again?’

‘You’re back to being basic!’ Felicity yelled at him.

‘What?’ Oliver furrowed his brows. ‘What did I do, Felicity? Stop talking in riddles, just say it.’

‘You weren’t there this morning!’

Oliver blinked a few times. He couldn’t believe it…

‘Wh-What?’ Oliver asked just a notch higher than a whisper

‘All this talk last night, about not wanting to disappoint, about being a better person…’ Felicity continued. ‘It was just talk. You don’t want to change.’

‘That’s not true.’ Oliver was growing frustrated beyond belief. ‘And what’s your excuse? You said you believed in me and this morning you’re acting as if I don’t exist.’

‘You-’ Felicity started before Oliver cut her off.

‘Why am I even surprised?’ he asked angrily. ‘You’re all about Bruce now.’

‘WHAT?’ she asked incredulously.

‘Oh, don’t pretend.’ Oliver sat back and looked ahead, ignoring her eyes. ‘You were melting in your chair, every time he looked at you.’

‘That’s not true!’ Felicity denied. ‘And why are you saying that when you and Isabel looked like you were going to fuck right there on the table?’

‘What the hell?’ Oliver stared at her.

‘Oh, come on.’ Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘You obviously slept together.’

‘Yeah, years ago!’

‘Doesn’t matter.’ Felicity continued. ‘She almost ruined the dinner! She tried to sabotage the project!’

‘Don’t worry, Bruce seemed to like you too much to say No to you.’ Oliver cut her off.

‘You know what? Yeah, he liked me!’ Felicity yelled. ‘What’s so bad about that?’

Oliver’s jaw clenched.

‘Just because _you_ don’t like me that way, doesn’t mean others won’t.’ she continued. ‘Next time tell your gorgeous model-like ex _Isabel_ to act more appropriately.’

‘If I didn’t know any better I’d think you’re jealous of Isabel.’ Oliver raised a brow at her.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks got as red as her lipstick, making Oliver fight back a smile. _So, maybe she was jealous. Did that mean_ -

‘And if I didn’t know any better I’d think you’re jealous of Bruce!’

Shots fired. Oliver glared at her as a wicked grin appeared on her face. With her brow raised, and that sexy half-smirk she was giving him, Oliver didn’t know whether he wanted to kiss her or kill her. He shouldn’t feel this way, but damn he was turned on… _What an insufferable woman!_

‘I know better and I think you’re both jealous.’ Oliver heard Digg’s quiet words.

His eyes shot up to look at his friend, who met his gaze and just shrugged.

An awkward silence stretched as both of them sat back, putting a considerable distance between each other.

Oliver looked out the window, but all he could think about was Felicity and her words.

_‘You weren’t there this morning.’_

What did that mean? Had she wanted him to stay? But why?

Maybe he should’ve stayed. God knows he wanted to. But his… _condition_ hadn’t really allowed him. They would’ve probably had breakfast together, joked around, and they would’ve probably had a nice day.

And was she really jealous of Isabel? How could she even think he’d look at that cold bitch, when Felicity is right by his side? She lit up his life like nobody else. How could she not see how highly he thought of her?

To be fair, if one day he decided to settle down, he’d look for a girl like Felicity. Even though he was hella pissed at her at the moment, he could never deny how amazing she was. And… if Bruce managed to get to her, he’d be a lucky man.

Oliver shook his head. What the hell was he thinking? Why was he thinking about Felicity, dating, settling down?

He swallowed hard. He didn’t want to think about it.

_He didn’t want to settle down. He didn’t want to date._

_He didn’t want Felicity._

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

Felicity woke up from the sound of her alarm. She automatically reached and turned it off.

That meant it was 11 a.m. and she had the whole day to herself. A few days ago she’d planned a good shopping therapy for herself since Gotham was famous for its’ wonderful fashion stores. This morning, however, she didn’t want to move out of her bed. She felt like shit and she knew it was mainly because of her argument with Oliver.

So maybe she’d overreacted. She’d acted out, probably but after their talk in her bed, she’d thought… _Never mind._

She probably owed him an apology, but God knows her pride wouldn’t let her. Yet, she still didn’t want to spend this day, the same way as yesterday. Okay, so she’d start by making small talk then slowly she hoped he’d forget the whole thing and they’d be fine by the end of the day.

…

Who was she kidding? He looked so pissed last night, he wouldn’t forgive her that easily. He probably didn’t even want to see her face. And he was right.

Alright then. She’d just spend the day in her room till it was time for their meeting with Bruce. He couldn’t be angry at her in front of others so that’s when she’d try to break the ice.

And that’s exactly what Felicity did.

She spent a few hours on her phone, checking her social media accounts, then she showered and watched some TV. Just as she was about to blow dry her hair, she was startled by the ringing of her phone. She walked to the table where she had put it, and smiled when she saw Thea’s grinning face lighting up her screen.

‘Yoo!’ Felicity greeted when she picked up.

‘Roy kissed me last night!’ Thea yelled in the speaker.

‘Wow!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Spill!’

‘Well, to be fair, I kissed him.’ Thea started. ‘He had to get an injection and apparently he’s scared of needles. So to ease him, I decided to kiss him.’

‘Oh, my…’ Felicity closed her eyes, letting a smile stretch on her face. ‘Well done!’

‘Thanks.’ Thea beamed on the other side of the phone. ‘I was going to call you afterwards to tell you but I remembered about your meeting with Bruce Wayne and decided to leave it for today.’

‘That’s very considerate of you, Thea.’ Felicity chuckled. ‘Although I’m pretty sure that’s not the reason why you didn’t call.’

‘What do you mean?’ Thea’s confused voice rang in Felicity’s ear.

‘Didn’t you sleep with him?’ Felicity asked.

‘No!’ Thea exclaimed. ‘Not yet. I mean, I’m not even sure if we’re dating now or… I don’t know.’

‘I’m sure you’ll figure it out.’ Felicity reassured her friend. ‘And if he doesn’t want to date you, he’s an idiot.’

Thea chuckled. ‘Anyway, speaking of idiots,’ she started. ‘What happened between you and my idiot brother?’

Felicity’s stomach clenched. ‘W-What do you mean? N-Nothing. What makes you think something happened?’

‘Well, the fact you’re stuttering while talking about him and his growl when I asked about you this morning are pretty telling.’ Thea explained.

_Yep. He was still angry at her._

‘So, what went down this time?’ Thea asked again.

‘I… I was kinda annoyed with him yesterday, then he got annoyed with me and then we had a fight.’ Felicity summarized the story.

‘I’m not even gonna push for details.’ Thea let out a sigh. ‘So what now?’

‘We’re going horseback riding later today with Bruce Wayne and his secretary.’ Felicity started. ‘I’m gonna try to warm up to Oliver then.’

‘Wait, wait…’ Thea interrupted. ‘ _YOU_ are gonna try to apologize? YOU? Felicity Smoak?’

Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘I often apologize, Thea!’

‘Nuh-uh! You don’t.’

Felicity groaned. Thea was right. She didn’t apologize often. She had to swallow her pride this time though. Because Oliver didn’t owe her anything, and she had overreacted. She cared about their friendship and if her apology could save it, then she’d do it a million times.

After her conversation with Thea ended, Felicity spent some extra time fixing her hair in her signature sleek ponytail and doing her makeup perfectly. At 5:30 p.m. she was ready and dressed. She had put on a simple white T-shirt and white pants. Since it was a slightly chilly day, she grabbed her favorite red cardigan, put on a pair of brown booties and glanced at the mirror. She was happy with the final result so she headed out of her room, ready for the rest of the day, hoping that Oliver would soon forgive her.

She was praying that Digg would be a few minutes late and Oliver would be early (which was a bit far-fetched) so that she could have a few moments alone with him. She paced to the lobby, trying to keep a smile on her face. A smile that quickly dropped at the sight of Bruce and Isabel already in the lobby, laughing at something Oliver had just said, with the other woman’s arm casually on top of Oliver’s forearm. Felicity’s lips pursed and she tried to fight back the frown that she knew was about to appear if she kept looking at Isabel’s hand. She slowed down and put on a fake smile, as she approached the laughing group.

‘Felicity, hello!’ Bruce greeted her immediately.

‘Hey!’ Felicity answered back then looked at the brunette, before nodding. ‘Isabel.’

‘Felicity.’ Isabel greeted just as coolly. ‘It’s good to see you.’

‘You too.’ Felicity’s head turned to look at her boss, and her heart fluttered when she saw him already looking at her. His blue eyes seemed brighter and clearer than ever and the sight of him pulled at her heartstrings. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey.’ He smiled slightly.

_That was a good start._

Felicity tried hard not to look down his body, she didn’t want to see how well that simple white T-shirt he was wearing fit him. His aftershave was strong and manly, making her want to press herself to him to feel it even more.

A clearing of a throat pulled her back from her thoughts. Felicity blinked up a few times, before meeting Oliver’s intense gaze.

‘Well,’ Bruce spoke, making them pull away from each other. ‘if you two are ready… We could head out.’

Oliver met her eyes one last time and started walking ahead, engaging in a conversation with Bruce, leaving Felicity with Digg and Isabel.

They got in Bruce’s limo and half an hour later they were at the stables. Felicity looked around the property and smiled at the sight of big trees and fresh green grass. The nature here was beautiful.

‘Hello and welcome!’ a red-headed woman greeted them immediately. ‘My name is Samantha and I will be your guide today.’

They walked slowly through the property with Samantha explaining things about the ranch, the owners and the horses. Felicity tried listening, she really did, but the view was way too spectacular. The sun was still up but on its’ way to set and sky was a beautiful mixture of blue, red, purple and yellow colors. It was bright and Felicity had to wince, but still didn’t move her eyes from the skyline. She walked a few steps behind the others, but didn’t mind it one bit.

Eventually, her name was called out by the tour guide and she had to catch up with them. She quickened her pace till she was walking right behind Oliver. Felicity looked up to see him, as he was looking to the side. The sunlight was caressing his face and his blue eyes shone, his features soft. His face was calm and free of an expression. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, before exhaling.

Felicity was in awe. Of course, she knew Oliver was a very attractive man, but he’d never looked better than right now in that moment… Right now, in that moment, he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

Lost in her thoughts, Felicity _must’ve_ started walking faster, because suddenly she bumped into a solid back, which belonged to the same person that had caused her to lose her focus. She swung back and yelped as she was about to fall on her butt, bracing herself for the embarrassment she was about to feel. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel the fall or pain or embarrassment. She felt two strong arms wrap around her waist as her eyes met the clearest and prettiest blue orbs. She automatically grabbed Oliver’s shoulders as his hold on her waist tightened.

‘Thank you.’ She whispered.

‘It was nothing.’ He answered back just as quietly, pulling her to stand straight but never letting go of her.

Felicity could see his featured soften under his stubble and while yesterday he’d spent the majority of day with a clenched jaw, his face was perfectly relaxed right now. Felicity wasn’t sure if she saw correctly, but she thought she saw a slight smile on his face. It was almost invisible, but it was the kind of smile that made Felicity’s knees go weak. _Then again, any Oliver-Queen-smile made her knees go weak…_

‘Ahem.’

A clearing of a throat made Oliver and Felicity’s hands drop to the side and let go of each other. When she looked at Bruce and Isabel, the man had an amused expression while Isabel was frowning in annoyance.

‘If you’re ready maybe we could move.’ She spat out, before turning on her heel.

Oliver and Felicity shared a look before following their companions. After a few more minutes of walking and admiring the scenery, they finally reached the stables. The horses were all out and waiting for the walk.

‘Okay,’ Samantha started. ‘You need to pick a horse and-’

Felicity looked at the animals and shivered. They were beautiful and tall, and wild… and she had never ridden a horse before. She made eye contact with Isabel just as the brunette climbed on top of a horse and grinned at Felicity, making the blonde huff.

‘What’s wrong, Miss Smoak?’ Isabel asked. ‘Your horse doesn’t like you?’

Felicity sent her a dirty look before looking at the horse in front of her. The black horse was looking at her, still keeping its’ distance.

‘Okay…’ Felicity whispered as she took a step closer to the animal.

It huffed and straightened, causing Felicity to freeze on the spot. Clearly, the horse didn’t trust her and it didn’t want her anywhere near.

‘Are you alright, Felicity?’ Bruce yelled from a distance.

Felicity looked towards him, Oliver, Isabel and Samantha and swallowed hard. They were waiting for her to get on that horse so that they could enjoy their remaining time.

‘I, um…’ Felicity pursed her lips. ‘I’ve never ridden a horse before and I’m kinda scared of heights.’

‘But it’s not even that high.’ Bruce grinned at her. ‘C’mon, give it a try.’

‘I-I can’t.’ Felicity continued. ‘I can’t get on it. And I don’t think it likes me.’

She saw Isabel smirking in her direction while shaking her head, while Bruce looked both amused and worried. Oliver however, had an unreadable expression on his face as he sat on his horse.

‘You guys should go.’ Felicity tried to brush her disappointment off. ‘Maybe another time when I learn to ride a horse. I’ll just go to the coffee shop and-’

She stopped talking the second she saw Oliver going down from his horse and taking huge steps towards her with a determined expression on his face. Felicity pursed her lips expecting him to come and growl at her for ruining the moment with her wining and incompetence in all fields. So before he did that, Felicity decided to defend herself.

‘Just so you know,’ she spoke quietly only for his ears to hear. ‘I’m very competent in many, many fields.’

Oliver looked at her for a second, before blinking. ‘I know.’

‘Wait…’ Felicity asked incredulously. ‘Aren’t you going to blame me?’

‘What for?’ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows.

‘For um… not being able to ride? Not being able to entertain Bruce, our partner?’ she blinked a few times.

‘Now _that_ is something I would never blame you for.’ Oliver smiled slightly and started caressing her horse. ‘In fact, I want to thank you for it.’

‘So why did you come now?’ she asked and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

She stood silent for a few long moments, waiting for Oliver’s response, while he was shushing her horse. Soon enough, much to Felicity’s surprise, the horse calmed down and got closer to Oliver, almost snuggling to him.

‘Because,’ he looked at her. ‘I’m gonna ride with you.’

Before Felicity could react, Oliver pulled her by the waist and took one of her hands in his. He brought their joined hands up and stroke the horse’s hair. At first the animal stiffened, but soon it relaxed and let Felicity touch it.

‘It likes me.’ Felicity exclaimed happily and looked up to meet Oliver’s eyes.

She hadn’t realized their proximity until she felt his warm minty breath on her forehead, causing a small shiver to run down her spine.

‘Actually,’ Oliver looked into her eyes. ‘It’s a he. And yes, he seems to like you.’

‘Oliveeer,’ Isabel whined. ‘What’s taking so long? Are you ready?’

‘Yeah.’ Oliver answered back, not moving his gaze from Felicity. ‘We are.’

He pointed her where to put her foot and then lifted her by the waist. Felicity squealed when she landed on the saddle and grabbed the bridle tightly. A few seconds later, she felt Oliver’s strong body pressed to hers from the back his hands coming on top of hers.

‘Oh…’ Felicity’s breath hitched.

She twisted her head, and instantly found his eyes staring down at her softly. His stubble accidentally rubbed the crown of her head and his hands squeezed hers.

‘Your hands are cold.’ She smiled at him. ‘But it’s okay.’

Oliver let out a small chuckle and guided the horse towards Isabel and Bruce. Felicity saw the other man smiling knowingly while Isabel was shooting daggers at her. Felicity fought the urge to raise her hand and give Isabel a middle finger, and instead focused on Oliver’s warm chest pressed to her back, as they rode slowly and lazily through the property, enjoying those moments she spent in his arms.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

At 10:30 p.m. Felicity left her hotel room and headed to the pool area for a night swim in desperate need to clear her head.

She walked in and realized she wasn’t alone when she saw a man doing laps in the water. Her breath caught when she saw the familiar strong shoulders, broad back and peachy bum.

Oliver was doing laps in the pool at the same time she’d arrived. _What a coincidence_ …

Felicity stopped in her tracks and watched his body moving smoothly through the water. His back muscles flexed with each movement of his arms and Felicity’s throat went dry.

She hated how much he affected her, how much he’d _always_ affected her. She still remembered the shivers she’d felt the first time their eyes had locked, or that first kiss… _Oh, boy_ …

Shaking her head, she walked next to one of the lounges and placed her towel and phone. She made her way to the pool, while Oliver was still unaware of her presence. She sat at the edge and put her feet in the cold water, getting used to the temperature. A few moments later, Oliver stopped swimming and the second he stood straight his blue eyes fixated on her. He stood still, not moving a single muscle and not saying a single word. Felicity blinked a few times, before her eyes went down his body where it was visible above the water. She swallowed hard and quickly brought her eyes up to meet his. Much to her relief, he looked less stiff and a bit more relaxed.

‘Hi.’ She gave him a small smile.

‘Hey.’ He greeted back, still keeping the distance between them.

Felicity lowered her body and hissed at the coldness of the water.

‘I-I hope you don’t mind me being here.’ She said awkwardly, when she was fully soaked.

‘No.’ he shook his head and took a step forward. ‘Not at all.’

That’s when Felicity decided it was now or never.

‘Oliver,’ she started, as she swam a bit closer to him. ‘I want to apologize. For yesterday, I mean.’

Oliver’s brow raised but he stood quiet, not interrupting her, letting her finish.

‘I think I overreacted in the morning and that put me in a shitty mood.’ She explained. ‘It’s just… I felt like after our conversation you would… I don’t know. I guess when I woke up and I didn’t find you there, I thought that you were back to your douche bag ways. And you seemed… determined to make a difference. So, yeah, I got pissed thinking you got scared.’

Oliver’s jaw clenched but he quickly relaxed and took a deep breath.

‘Oliver, you’re so much better than that.’ Felicity spoke. ‘Better than all the partying, all the… all the girls, the recklessness. I just wish you’d see yourself from my eyes.’

Before she could realize it, Oliver was a mere inch away from her, his chest almost pressed to her breasts.

‘What do you see, Felicity?’ he asked quietly, his hand coming up to brush away a curl from her face.

‘I-I see,’ Felicity breathed. ‘I see a guy, struggling to keep an image he so desperately wants to get rid of. People expect to see the old you, and they underestimate you. You, on the other hand, want to let go of ‘Ollie Queen’ but don’t know how so you just keep being him because that’s easier to do.’

Felicity stopped talking when Oliver’s eyes lingered on her lips. He was close, so painfully close to her, yet he didn’t do anything. For a few silent moments he just stared at her mouth, and Felicity held her breath, waiting, anticipating, for what he was about to do.

Then he closed his eyes and grinned.

‘You should’ve studied Phycology instead of computers, Smoak.’ He finally spoke.

Felicity chuckled. ‘So…’ she met his eyes, both of them smiling at each other. ‘Am I forgiven?’  

Oliver looked to the side and inhaled loudly. ‘I’m gonna have to think about that.’

His blue eyes were reflecting the water in the pool, and small drops were gliding down his tanned skin. His hair was wet and messy and he grinned back at her. In that moment, Felicity’s self-control broke as she grabbed him by the face and slanted her mouth on his. A second later, Oliver’s initial shock was gone, his hands wrapping around her waist and pressing her to the pool’s wall. His lips moved in perfect synchronicity with hers and his body was pressed to hers. Their last kiss in her bed had been soft and sweet, while this one right now was all about passion. His tongue was invading her mouth and she let him do that willingly. Her hands pulled his hair just slightly, enough to light his fire, causing his own hands to roam all over her body.

A few long moments later she pulled away, desperate for some air. They were breathing hard against each other’s faces, her body sandwiched between the tiles and his own body.

‘What was that about?’ he suddenly asked.

Felicity’s eyes widened, before she blinked a few times, trying to collect her thoughts. Because she had, in fact, initiated the kiss this time.

‘Well, um…’ she pressed herself more towards the pool’s wall, distancing herself from him slightly. ‘Last-last time, when you thanked me you, um… You… you kissed m-me and I-I thought… I thought I should thank you too. For forgiving me. And for helping with the horse and supporting me today against Isabel.’

Oliver was staring at her with a soft expression on his face, the smallest of smiles on his face.

‘You know I told you to never thank me again.’ He grinned. ‘But you say ‘thank you’ like that… I might reconsider my previous words.’

Felicity laughed as he smiled down at her.

‘Oh, really?’ she asked devilishly. ‘And… if I say ‘thank you’ like… THAT?’

She continued laughing as she splashed water at his face, making him wince and turn around.

‘You little-’ he chuckled.

‘I can’t hear you!’ Felicity yelled as she continued splashing his back.

‘I’ll show you now.’

Oliver went below the water’s surface and Felicity yelped as he started tickling her stomach, still not coming out.

‘Stop it!’ she laughed loudly. ‘Oliver, please, Oliveeer!’

He straightened up and grinned at her, before wrapping her in his huge arms. ‘Apologize!’

‘Fine, fine!’ Felicity gave in, as he loosened his hold, but not enough to let her go. ‘Sorry… You can be such an ass, Oliver Queen.’

‘But you still love me.’ He chuckled.

Felicity looked up and grinned back at him. ‘Sadly… I do.’

Their eyes met, and Felicity felt butterflies in her stomach at the way he was looking at her. She quickly looked away, because deep down she knew if she continued looking into his eyes, she would start feeling a certain something.

Something unfamiliar.

Something she’d never felt before.

Something that scared the living hell out her.

_Something he might be feeling too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance, because I know it's not my best writing. I'm slightly out of shape lol :D. I hope you still enjoyed it. ^_^ If you did, you could give me kudos and write comments saying what you thought! It makes me really happy. And feel free to message me on twitter( @Berry_Sabit ) or tumblr (xoxo-wild-one.tumblr.com), I love talking to you! <3 See you soon!


	9. Chapter 8- I may fuck things up from time to time but don’t let me let you go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity + the Lance sisters  
> and, of course, Olicity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so late... I hope there are still people who care about this story.   
> I am so so so sorry. But like I told you, uni is so... time-consuming. Medicine is harder than I thought haha :D  
> Also, writer's block is a bitch...  
> Also, the show is a mess right now and I have lost my muse about it. I still love Olicity though <3  
> Again, not my best writing but... it's something lol :D Also, not beta-d. So, my apologies.  
> Thank you to everyone who reads and supports this story. I love you.  
> Hope you enjoy.  
> Happy reading!

 

‘You want me to help you inside?’ Oliver asked Felicity, as he took out her bags from the trunk.

‘No, I’m gonna be fine.’ Felicity declined his offer. ‘Thanks.’

‘Are you sure?’ Oliver looked suspiciously at her enormous luggage. 

‘Yes, Oliver, I am.’ Felicity rolled her eyes before grinning at him. ‘Don’t worry.’

‘I still think we should have dropped you off at your place first.’ Oliver looked back towards Donna and Quentin’s house.

‘Why did you even have to come in here?’ Digg joined him.

‘Because,’ Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘They missed me and asked me to visit them as soon as I was back.’

‘And how are you gonna go back to your apartment, young lady?’ Digg crossed his arms.

‘I can call a cab, or ask Sara to drive me back.’ Felicity explained. ‘Well, if she’s back.’

‘Wait, wait…’ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. ‘Sara as in… Sara Lance?’

‘Yeah,’ Felicity gave him a fake smile. ‘As in your ex girlfriend.’

‘She wasn’t really my girlfriend.’ Oliver looked to the side.

‘Right. She was your girlfriend’s sister.’ Digg chimed in.

‘I honestly feel so attacked right now.’ Oliver pouted, making both Felicity and Digg chuckle. ‘We should go.’

‘Yeah.’ Felicity smiled back at him.

‘Bye, Felicity.’ He looked at her with those blue eyes of his, and Felicity felt like her whole world was spinning. ‘See you tomorrow.’

‘Yeah, see you.’ She managed, right before he got in the car.

She lingered on him, as he was adjusting the radio, when there was a clearing of a throat. Startled, Felicity jumped slightly only to find Digg looking at her with a knowing smirk.

‘What?’ she furrowed her eyebrows.

‘I saw that.’ He said simply.

‘Saw what?’

‘You know very well, Felicity. You’re just in denial.’ He smiled at her as he walked to the side of the driver’s seat. He stood like that, not opening the door, before he spoke. ‘Just so you know, he feels it too.’

‘I don’t know what you’re talk-’

Before she could finish, Digg was seated and was turning the car on. She looked at Oliver who just smiled at her and waved, as the vehicle started moving away.

_Just so you know, he feels it too._

_Feels it too._

Felicity stared at the car in the distance for a long time, thinking over Digg’s words. What was he talking about? What was Oliver feeling?

She grunted and decided she didn’t want to think about that. All she wanted to do was have dinner with her mother and Quentin quickly, so that she could go to her own apartment and watch TV. The sooner dinner with her family was over, the sooner she’d be in her own home. That’s why she rushed to the door and knocked eagerly. After a few moments, the door flew open and she was met by the sight of Quentin’s grinning face.

‘Hey!’ Felicity smiled back.

‘Hello, sweetheart.’ He took her luggage in and pulled her in for a quick hug.

‘What’s up?’ Felicity grinned as she took her jacket off. ‘How are you?’

‘I have never been better.’ Quentin responded. ‘I have all my girls here with me. What else can I ask for?’

Felicity froze. ‘Wait,’ she stopped him. ‘Sara and Laurel… they’re here already?’

‘Yeah, they’re in the kitchen with your Mom.’ The older man smiled.

 _Shit_.

‘Great.’ Felicity lied with a huge smile.

Most of the time Felicity got along with her step-sisters. She truly loved them both but sometimes…

_God, they could be so annoying._

A long time ago Oliver had been dating Laurel on and off. One time he told Sara they were broken up, when according to Laurel ‘they had just been on a break’. Long story short, Laurel caught them in the middle of the act and it hadn’t been pretty. Since that day, the Lance sisters both really hated Oliver and to an extent, Felicity understood.

Felicity remembered how when she and Thea had found out they had spent the entire day after that laughing their asses off at the situation.

That memory put a faint smile on Felicity, as Quentin kept on talking about his daughters’ early arrival.

‘-she came with her new boyfriend.’

‘Who?’ Felicity asked immediately.

‘Well, it ain’t Sara for sure.’ Quentin smiled.

Felicity’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Laurel has a boyfriend?’

‘Yeah.’ Quentin nodded. ‘His name is Adam Donner. He’s a District Attorney in NYC. Lovely fella.’

‘Wow.’ Was all Felicity managed to say. ‘Good for her.’

‘Anyway, let’s go see them all.’ Quentin placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her towards the living room.

As they approached, the voices grew louder and Felicity could hear a male voice and a few girly giggles following something he’d said.

She finally entered the room and saw Sara checking something in the oven, her body somehow had become more muscular. She had a neutral expression on her face, as she was completely concentrated on the food, which by the smell of it, was a grilled chicken. On the sofa, sat Laurel, her hair a few shades lighter. Felicity narrowed her eyes to look better, because there was something different about her. Had she… had she had a chin surgery? _What the heck_? Felicity shook her head, and moved her eyes to the unfamiliar guy next to her. He was good-looking, the kind of guy you take to your parents and take to formal events. He was perfect for Laurel. Rich, smart, powerful. The perfect couple. Finally, she looked at her mother who was looking lovingly at the couple in front of her. Felicity winced because Laurel’s new boyfriend meant that her mother would urge Felicity to look for one soon, too. 

Suddenly all heads turned and started right at her.

‘Oh, babyyy!’ her mother exclaimed and ran to pull her in for a hug.

‘Hi!’ Felicity returned the hug and smiled when she pulled away. ‘Hey everyone!’

‘Heeey!’ Sara was next on her feet and wrapped her arms around Felicity.

‘Hii!’ Felicity chuckled.

‘Hey, Felicity!’ Laurel greeted her and gave her a hug too.

‘Hey, Laurel!’ Felicity smiled. ‘How you’ve been?’

‘Perfect.’ Laurel answered. ‘Felicity, meet my boyfriend- Adam Donner. Adam, this is my step-sister, Felicity.’

The man stood up and stretched his hand for Felicity to take. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Felicity.’

‘You too… Adam.’ Felicity shook his hand.

‘Felicity,’ Laurel continued. ‘Adam is a DA in New York.’

‘Great!’ Felicity exclaimed and gave him the thumbs up. ‘Good for you!’

 He raised his eyebrows slightly, before nodding.

‘How was the business meeting in Gotham, honey?’ Donna asked.

‘Oh, amazing!’ Felicity beamed. ‘Bruce Wayne agreed to be our partner. It was a success.’

‘Bruce Wayne?’ Adam asked. ‘Wow, congratulations!’

‘Thank you!’ Felicity smiled at him.

‘Where do you work, Felicity?’ the man asked again.

‘At Queen Consolidated.’ She answered.

‘Ohh.’ He laughed. ‘Oliver Queen, huh?’

Felicity couldn’t have missed Laurel’s wince even if she tried. The older Lance sister’s grimace was very telling that she still held grudges against Oliver. Meanwhile, Sara snorted and shook her head.

‘Yes.’ Felicity simply said.

‘You still friends with that douche?’ Sara asked.

‘Well, Sara,’ Laurel started answering before Felicity had the chance. ‘They’re clearly still friends since Oliver just dropped her off.’

Felicity’s head shot in the direction where Laurel was currently standing. ‘How did you know?’

‘I saw through the window.’ Laurel answered.

‘No offense or anything,’ Adam started. ‘but you seem way too nice to be in his circle.’

‘Well, just so you know, Oliver is a wonderful person.’ Donna interrupted. ‘We’re all humans, we make mistakes. He is no exception. He’s changed.’

‘Yeah right.’ Laurel muttered.

‘Well,’ Donna tilted her head to the side. ‘He hasn’t met the girl for him. The one who lights his way. When he gets with her, he will fully become the amazing man I know he is deep down.’

Felicity listened to her mother’s words, while looking out the window. When she turned her head towards Donna, the older woman was looking at her with a small smile on her lips. She looked like she knew something that Felicity didn’t. Felicity furrowed her eyebrows in question to her mother’s look, to which Donna just smiled wider and shook her head.

‘Donna, I love you.’ Sara hugged the older Smoak woman. ‘But you always see the best in people. Plus you’re friends with Moira.’

‘I bet Oliver Queen will get married at the age of 60 to a 23-year-old lingerie model.’ Adam remarked to which Laurel forced a laugh.

Felicity bit her cheeks from the inside to keep herself from saying anything. Who did that guy think he is? Coming here, insulting a person he didn’t even know. How dare all of them speak like that about Oliver when no one had spoken to him in years?! Sara and Laurel may have known him back in the days, but they didn’t know him as well as they thought. They didn’t see his kindness and passion and generosity, they were blinded by their hurt prides.  They didn’t know him like Felicity, simply because he didn’t show those parts of himself to many people. She was one of the few lucky individuals who got to see him like that. That’s why she kept quiet. They didn’t deserve to know those parts of him.

After about an hour of talking (mostly Laurel and Adam), they gathered around the table to have dinner. Sara had cooked a wonderful chicken and had made the most delicious potato salad Felicity had ever tried. They continued talking about Laurel and Adam’s job, their new apartment, the weather in New York, the stock market, Wall Street and many various things Felicity didn’t give a shit about. What was a relief to Felicity was the fact that Sara was equally as interested as her. She was picking her food, sending funny faces at Felicity’s direction, which made Felicity giggle.

‘-and that’s how I won the case.’ Laurel gave them all a satisfied smile as she finished telling a story Felicity had not paid attention to.

‘I was so proud that day.’ Adam added, as he caressed Laurel’s shoulder.

‘Felicity,’ Sara said all of a sudden.

‘Aha?’ Felicity asked with her mouth full of meat and potatoes.

‘Would you like me to show you my pictures from when I was in Moscow?’ she asked.

‘Um,’ Felicity furrowed her eyebrows. ‘You showed me those over-’

Suddenly, she felt a kick on her right leg, on Sara’s side. Felicity winced and looked up to meet the other blonde’s eyes. Sara was looking at her with raised eyebrows and a smile way too wide to be real.

‘Ohhh!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Those photos! From… from that Moscow! I thought you were… talking about the other Moscow. Not another Moscow! There’s one city named Moscow. Which I obviously know. I had an A in geography. But I thought you were talking about the other time you were in… Moscow. You know last… last year.’

‘What?’ Laurel exclaimed. ‘Didn’t you say it was your first time in Moscow last month?’

‘I... yeah. But… I was in Moscow last year too.’ Sara lied.

‘I don’t understa-’

Before Laurel could finish Sara had taken Felicity by the hand and was dragging her upstairs to her room.  

The two laughed as they entered Sara’s old room. ‘Felicity Smoak,’ the younger Lance started. ‘You’re still the worst liar I know.’

‘How was I supposed to know?’ Felicity giggled.

‘Anyway,’ Sara started going through her bag. ‘What a dick.’

‘Who?’ Felicity lied on the bed.

‘Adam.’ Sara answered. ‘ _I want you to meet my boyfriend Adam Donner, a DA in New York._ ’ She mimicked Laurel’s voice, causing Felicity to chuckle. ‘Seriously, he’s perfect for Laurel. They’re both snobs.’

‘Did I miss the story of how they started dating?’ Felicity asked with fake interest.

‘I don’t give two shits, I barely listened to anything they’ve said all night.’ Sara answered and took out something from her bag.

Felicity peaked and her eyes widened when she saw what Sara was holding. ‘Holy shit, Sara!’ she whispered. ‘Is that weed?’

‘Yeah.’ Sara grinned. ‘Let’s climb on the roof, c’mon.’

‘Sara, oh my God.’ Felicity winced. ‘Your sister and her boyfriend are lawyers and they’re downstairs. And our parents-’

‘Relax!’ Sara rolled her eyes. ‘They won’t know.’

Sara grabbed her by the hand and led her to the window. ‘C’mon. Go!’

‘I hate you.’ Felicity narrowed her eyes and got out through the window.

Sara followed and together they sat on the bricks. Sara rolled her cigarette. ‘Want some?’ she asked when she was done.

‘No, thank you.’ Felicity declined. ‘They’re gonna find out, you know. It smells.’

‘Whatever.’ Sara lit her cigarette.

Felicity looked at the night sky and the quiet neighborhood, while Sara smoked beside her.

‘You know what I hate the most?’ Sara spoke all of a sudden, a few minutes later.

‘What?’ Felicity asked.

‘I have been travelling for two years, only coming back for holidays and on rare occasions.’ Sara started, as she took another drag. ‘And I come here, after not seeing Laurel for over 5 months, and she’s all over her stupid boyfriend.’

Felicity looked at her step-sister and pursed her lips. Sara was looking at the horizon, her eyes clear of an emotion.

‘We talked on the phone of course, but she always hung up because of work or something else.’ Sara continued. ‘I just don’t understand why she hates me so much and ignores me most of the time.’

‘She doesn’t hate you.’ Felicity spoke.

‘Are you sure about that?’ Sara looked at her. ‘Remember when I told you guys, I wasn’t going to uni and that I wanted to travel? Felicity, you were the only one who told me to follow my dreams. Laurel told me I was a fool and didn’t even come to see me off when I was leaving.’

‘Sara,’ Felicity wrapped an arm around her. ‘Her boyfriend, well, it’s a new relationship for her. You know how it is when it’s new. And she’s been hurt before, she was afraid to open up. And now that she found someone she trusts, she’s happy… She loves you. In her own ways. She’s always been a very rational person and she didn’t understand you back then, but you’re good now… And not to mention, that was when... you know.’

‘I slept with Queen.’ Sara finished.

A weird feeling tugged at Felicity’s heartstrings. Logically, she knew both Laurel and Sara had been with Oliver, long before her, but it somehow didn’t sit right with her. Suddenly, imagining him with the Lance sisters _, or any woman at all_ , seemed… wrong.

‘Yes, that.’ Felicity swallowed.

A silence stretched, as Sara continued smoking, while Felicity enjoyed the light summer breeze caressing her skin, where it was bare on the shoulders.

‘Anyway,’ Sara spoke. ‘Speaking of Queen, what’s up with you two?’

‘Um, nothing.’ Felicity answered. ‘Why would you ask that?’

‘Laurel saw you two out the window and gritted her teeth.’ Sara chuckled. ‘I sneaked a peak too, and you seemed pretty close.’

‘We’ve always been close.’ Felicity shrugged.

‘Did he finally get his way with you?’ Sara grinned.

‘Sara!!!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘Oh my God!’

‘Oh, come on, Felicity, everyone knows he’s been after you for years.’

‘He… is not.’ Felicity shook her head.

‘You don’t know how many times Laurel and him have argued over you.’ Sara said.

‘Wh-What?’ Felicity asked quietly.

‘Laurel was so jealous of you.’ Sara admitted.

‘She was?’ Felicity couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘Why?’

‘You know how girls want their boyfriends to look at them a certain way?’ Sara smiled. ‘He always looked at you like that.’

‘I-I don’t understand. Like what?’

‘Like ‘Thank God, you exist. You’re the best thing in my life. Also I want to fuck you like an animal’. That way.’ Sara answered.

‘You’re mistaken.’ Felicity blushed.

‘If you say so.’ Sara chuckled and passed her the cigarette. ‘You sure you don’t want?’

Felicity looked at Sara’s hand then looked up to look at the other blonde. She had a wide grin on her face, as she raised her eyebrows.

Felicity had never been high except that time when she’d accidentally eaten a pot brownie. That night she’d ended up in a hospital because apparently the brownies had had nuts.

‘Oh, come on.’ Sara rolled her eyes. ‘You’re not gonna die.’

Felicity chuckled and looked at the blunt. _One time_ … One time wouldn’t hurt, _would it_?

She took the cigarette from Sara’s hands and slowly brought it to her lips.

Every muscle in her body relaxed as a feeling of calmness rushed through her, as she took a toke. She held it in for a few seconds then blew out. She closed her eyes as she took a few more, enjoying the silence and the light wind.

‘Not bad, huh?’ Sara asked beside her.

‘No.’ Felicity gave it back to her. ‘Not bad at all.’

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

‘And then I told him ‘No, sir, that’s just a tortoise’.’ Sara finished.

She and Felicity burst out laughing, as Laurel and Adam exchanged looks, and Donna and Quentin smiled awkwardly at their daughters.

Felicity was high. But Sara was higher.

Judging by their parents confused faces, they were clueless. But if Adam’s disapproving expression and Laurel’s scowl were any indication, they knew. That didn’t stop Felicity and Sara from giggling like crazy.

‘That tortoise had the biggest balls I’ve ever seen.’ Sara continued, as a few mouths fell open, Felicity the only one still laughing. ‘They were THIS big, I swear. Bigger than a human’s. You haven’t… Oh man, I’m tired. I want to sleep.’

‘What a wonderful idea!’ Laurel interrupted. ‘You should go to bed. NOW.’

Felicity looked at the clock and realized it was 12:20 a.m. and it was time she went home too.

‘I should head out too.’ She spoke.

‘Okay, baby.’ Donna stood up as well. ‘I’ll call you a cab.’

‘Or,’ Laurel spoke. ‘I could drive her.’

 _Huh_ …

Felicity tried really hard to act cool and not furrow her brows.

‘O-okay.’ She agreed and grabbed her purse.

Quentin brought her jacket and helped her put it on.

‘Will you stop by the restaurant tomorrow, baby girl?’ Donna asked as she hugged her daughter.

‘Probably.’ Felicity returned the hug. ‘Oliver loves the muffins so I’m pretty sure he will make me go anyway.’

With her peripheral vision Felicity saw Laurel stiffen beside her.

‘Oh, I am glad to hear that!’ Donna beamed. ‘I will bake a few just for him tomorrow then. Does he like them with the Raffaello flavor or Lindor?’

‘Raffaello.’ Felicity answered shortly. ‘Anyway, see you tomorrow.’

Adam took her bags and helped her to Laurel’s car as Laurel went to put Sara to bed, leaving Felicity alone with Donner.

‘Thank you very much, Adam.’ Felicity smiled. ‘It was nice to meet you.’

‘You too, Felicity.’ He shook her hand. ‘Can I give you a piece of advice? If I were you, I’d try to distance myself from Oliver Queen as much as I can.’

Despite her shock, Felicity did her best to keep her face neutral as she spoke. ‘And can **_I_** give you a piece of advice? If I were you, I wouldn’t stick my nose into other people’s business.’

Adam Donner glares at her, before a smile spread on his face. ‘You stand your ground, huh?’

‘I sure do, Mr. Donner.’ Felicity spoke, keeping her face clear of emotion.

‘That is… that is a very good trait, I give you that. Even though you’re making a mistake with that decision.’ He spoke.

‘Well, I’m willing to face the consequences of it.’ Felicity continued.

‘What consequences?’ Laurel’s voice came.

‘Nothing.’ Adam spoke, before Felicity could answer. He leaned in a pressed a quick kiss to Laurel’s lips. ‘Drive safe, babe. See you later.’

‘Yeah.’ Laurel gave him another quick kiss, before she and Felicity got in the car.

Laurel started the car and started driving to Felicity’s place. A silence stretched between them, Felicity not wanting to say anything, and secretly hoping Laurel would want that too or at least they could lead a friendly conversation. Much to her chagrin, after a few quiet moments Laurel spoke.

‘How could you?’

Felicity’s head turned to her. ‘How could I what?’

‘You and Sara…’ Laurel shot her a look, before bringing her eyes back on the road. ‘How could you get high at a family meeting?! In front of my boyfriend!’

‘Relax, Laurel!’ Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘Nothing happened!’

‘Nothing happened?’ Laurel laughed in disbelief. ‘Do you realize that you got high in front of not one, but two lawyers?’

‘We weren’t that high.’ Felicity argued. ‘Don’t worry we didn’t do anything to embarrass you.’

‘You could have!’ Laurel continued. ‘Felicity, my life is perfect right now and I can’t have it ruined because of your immaturity.’

Felicity’s mouth fell open. ‘Excuse me?’ she asked slowly. ‘How do _my actions_ affect _YOUR_ life?’

‘Of course my family’s actions affect my life and future too, Felicity.’ Laurel spoke. ‘Just like my life affects yours.’

‘No offense, but it almost doesn’t.’ Felicity shot back.

‘I am a powerful and reputable attorney in NYC.’ Laurel turned to look at Felicity, as she came to a red light. ‘In order for me to keep that reputation, I need a spotless background. Who would trust a lawyer with their problems, when the lawyer can’t control their own family?’

‘Laurel,’ Felicity tried to remain calm. ‘First of all, you can’t control _my_ life or Sara’s. We’re both grown-ups. Secondly, the fact that we smoked weed ONCE doesn’t matter to you at all.’

‘Yeah, once now. It’s gonna happen again, and again and-’

‘Stop it!’ Felicity exclaimed. ‘You can’t control everything! Not everything is up to you. And you can’t keep blaming others for everything that goes wrong in your life!’

Laurel blinked up at her, right before she started driving as the green light appeared.

‘A lot of things in my life are crappy, Laurel, but I try to work through my problems without blaming anyone.’

Her sister-in-law kept on driving, this time in silence. Felicity sneaked a few glances at her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Laurel had always had a different mindset than her and Sara. Maybe it was the age gap, or something else, but she rarely agreed with the two of them. Despite their differences, though, Felicity loved her dearly, just like she knew Laurel loved her back.

‘How did you even get this shit?’ Laurel asked suddenly. ‘Is it from Queen?’

Felicity let out a humorless chuckle. ‘Why when something bad happens, you always assume he is involved? He isn’t the Devil, you know…’

‘He is to me.’ Laurel argued.

‘Oh, here you go again.’ Felicity muttered.

‘He never treated me with respect, he cheated, he didn’t listen to me.’ Laurel started. ‘He was the worst boyfriend I’ve ever had.’

 _And yet, you stayed with him_ , Felicity thought to herself.

‘Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if he provided you with the weed.’ Laurel spoke. ‘He used to take worse things than just weed. You didn’t know him back then and now you’re blinded by his shiny CEO post.’

Felicity turned to look at her with a look of disbelief.

‘You’re so wrong, Laurel.’ She started. ‘I knew him back then. I knew him very well, just like I know him now. But you… You didn’t know him then, and you don’t know him now.’

Laurel’s eyebrows furrowed, as her eyes started shining. Felicity could see Laurel was still hurt over what happened with Oliver, and she still hadn’t made peace with the past. That’s why she was still so vulnerable on that topic, that’s why she was on the verge of tears.

‘What are you-’

Felicity interrupted her. ‘I can see why he never opened up to you.’

Laurel stopped the car immediately and turned to look at Felicity.

‘He didn’t open up to me because I was his girlfriend. Men don’t share with their girlfriends a lot.’ She said. ‘He spoke about his problems with Tommy and you, because he saw you as friends.’

Something tightened in Felicity’s chest as Laurel spat out her last words. She couldn’t quite explain this feeling, but it started appearing whenever Oliver talked to another woman, or when she pictured him with someone else. It was the same feeling when she found her bed empty that morning in Gotham, and it was the same feeling like when Oliver told her Eddie didn’t want her for anything but sex. That feeling when she didn’t see Oliver for days, or when they had a fight. It was painful, and she wanted it to stop.

‘While that may be true,’ Felicity started. ‘You are wrong that guys don’t share with their girlfriends. He didn’t share with you not because you were his girlfriend, but because you always judged him for everything.’

‘Well, of course I would judge him! That’s why I’m here. To tell him his problems.’

‘This isn’t court, Laurel. You’re not here to judge.’ Felicity shook her head. ‘You were supposed to support and love him.’

‘I did.’ Laurel’s eyes teared up. ‘He was the one who constantly ruined it.’

‘That can’t be quite true if he had to cheat and lie.’ Felicity said.

Laurel let out a humorless chuckle. ‘Of course… Now it is my fault, huh?’

‘I’m not saying it was your fault, Laurel.’ Felicity squeezed her hand. ‘This is my point exactly. Like I said, this is real life and not court. You don’t always have to find a guilty one. Sometimes things just don’t work out. We need to let them go, so that they don’t burden our present.’

Laurel stared at her for a few seconds, before giving her a small smile.

‘Oliver is a great guy, Laurel, and I’m really sorry you couldn’t see those parts of him.’ Felicity spoke. ‘You can control certain things, but his heart was not one of them. He decides who to open up to by himself.’

‘Maybe you’re right.’ Laurel looked towards the road and took a deep breath. ‘Let’s go shall we?’

‘Yeah.’ Felicity smiled.

‘Damn, you’re still smart even when you’re high.’ Laurel chuckled as they drove.

‘I’m not that high.’ Felicity grinned.

A couple minutes passed before Felicity spoke again.

‘Sara… she misses you so much.’ She looked at Laurel who once again teared up slightly.

‘What do you mean? I’m here.’ She said.

‘She thinks you don’t care about her because you don’t pay attention to her.’ Felicity pursed her lips.

‘That’s not true.’ Laurel shook her head.

‘Maybe, maybe not. I’m just the messenger.’ Felicity said. ‘She still feels guilty over what happened between you and she thinks you hate her for it.’

‘She shouldn’t think that.’

‘Well, you should tell her that.’

Laurel stood quiet for the rest of the drive, and Felicity let her contemplate. After a while, they finally pulled up in front of Felicity’s building and Laurel parked. The two of them got out of the car, and started walking to her apartment, as Felicity took one of her bags, and Laurel took her other one. 

When they reached Felicity’s apartment there was a huge bouquet of red roses. Felicity’s brows furrowed, as Laurel’s raised in surprise.

‘Got yourself a secret admirer, huh?’ she chuckled.

 Felicity glared at her. ‘Not funny. Oh, God… What if it’s that stalker lacrosse player from college?’

‘Relax-’

‘Has he found my address?’ Felicity continued. ‘Oh my God! I’m gonna-’

‘Felicity!’ Laurel grabbed her shoulders. ‘Calm down! Do you want me to check it out for you?’

‘Fine.’ Felicity answered, as Laurel approached the flowers and picked them up.

‘Ah, they smell so nice!’ she commented and started looking for a note. ‘Aha! Gotcha!’

She took it and as she read different emotions rushed through her face. At first it was confusion, then her grin fell. Finally, she closed her eyes as a smile full of knowledge and acceptance appeared on her face.

‘What is it?’ Felicity asked impatiently. ‘Should we inform the police about this?’

Laurel let out a small chuckle. ‘No. No need. They’re, um, they’re from Oliver.’

Felicity stiffened. _Well, that was awkward_.

‘Really?’ Felicity asked.

‘Yeah, really.’

‘O-okay.’ Felicity managed. ‘Will you help me settle?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ Laurel grabbed the flowers and the bag, while Felicity carried the rest of her luggage.

Felicity took her keys out and unlocked her door.

‘Home sweet home!’ she beamed as Laurel chuckled beside her.

The two girls brought the bags to Felicity’s bedroom.

‘Thanks, Laurel.’ Felicity hugged her step-sister.

‘You’re welcome.’ Laurel hugged her back.

‘Would you like to stay for coffee? Or something else?’

‘No, no, thank you, Felicity.’ Laurel smiled. ‘I have to go. Adam, Donna and dad are probably waiting for me.’

‘Right.’ Felicity nodded once.

‘I’ll talk to you, soon, okay?’ Laurel spoke as she walked to the door.

‘Yeah.’ Felicity responded. ‘Hey, Laurel. I’m sorry. For my behavior tonight, for getting high. And if I offended you with my words after that.’

Laurel gave her another small smile. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for.’

‘Okay. Good.’ Felicity said.

‘By the way,’ Laurel’s brows furrowed slightly. ‘He never sent _me_ flowers or a note. Not once for 2 years on and off.’

‘I, um…’ Felicity scratched one of her hands. ‘He’s probably… I don’t know…’

‘It’s okay.’ Laurel pursed her lips. ‘You don’t have to explain anything.’

They looked at each for a few seconds before Laurel gave Felicity a final nod and walked out of the door. When it was locked, and she was finally alone, she rushed to the coffee table in the living room where Laurel had put the flowers.

Despite her hurt for Laurel, she couldn’t help the small smile that appeared as her hands glided over the flowers he’d sent her. She leaned forward and inhaled as the sweet rosy scent assaulted her senses. She quickly found the note and started reading.

‘ _Felicity, thank you._

_Thank you for knowing me. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for always being on my side._

_-Oliver_ ’

Felicity read the note a few more times, her heart filling with joy every time her eyes scammed through the words.

_‘Thank you for always being on my side’_

As she started preparing for bed, there was one thought in her head.

 _No place I’d rather be_.  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Oliver was typing a report about his meeting with Bruce Wayne, when he heard the familiar clicking of heels on the floor. He couldn’t help himself and smiled, waiting impatiently for her to arrive.

He was more than curious to see what she had to say about the flowers- would she thank him, would she blush, would she be annoyed? _Who knew_ …

The sight of Felicity this morning took his breath away. She had straightened her golden locks, and had ditched her glasses going for contacts instead. Her brightly painted lips matched her rosy and flowy slightly see-through blouse. Oliver’s eyes went down her body and he saw that she had paired the top with a black leather pencil skirt that hugged her curvy lower part, as she strutted on her black heels. What was Oliver’s undoing, however, was the smile that lit her face when she made eye contact with him. His palms started sweating as she didn’t go to her desk, but went straight to his office instead.

‘Hey!’ she beamed when she walked in.

‘Hi, Felicity.’ He stood up, circling his desk to get closer to her. ‘Did you have fun last night?’

‘Oh,’ Felicity chuckled. ‘I… I did. I’m glad I saw my mom. She wants us to have lunch with her today.’

Oliver grinned. ‘I can’t say no to your mom.’

‘Yeah, but don’t forget about the meeting with Max Fuller.’ Felicity reminded him. ‘It might actually take a bit longer because he wanted to talk about the branches outside of the country.’

‘Oh God.’ Oliver rolled his eyes. ‘What does he even care? He only comes here because his mom makes him. He doesn’t know shit.’

Felicity chuckled slightly before clearing her throat. ‘Behave, Mr. Queen.’

Her playful tone caused Oliver’s heart to make a few jumps in his chest. This woman has been warming her way through his heart and Oliver could finally see it.

Just as he was about to joke back, his door opened. He turned around to see Max Fuller casually leaning on the glass wall, his eyes covered by the sunglasses he was wearing. He was grinning smugly, his hair brushed to the side.

‘Oliver, mate!’ he greeted with his arms wide open, waiting for Oliver to embrace him.

Truth be told, Oliver couldn’t stand the guy. Maybe the main reason for that was the fact that the Max standing in front of him, reminded him of the old Ollie Queen, the person Oliver so desperately wanted to get rid of. He didn’t want anything to do with him, but the Fuller family were great investors so he had to keep them. That’s why Oliver just had to deal with Max and his bullshit once a month.

‘Max…’ Oliver smiled and walked to him, letting the other guy hug him.

‘What’s up, buddy?’ Max started. ‘Missed you at Carter’s birthday party, by the way. Mate, you should’ve been there. Those bikini models were out of this world.’

‘Ha-ha.’ Oliver tried keeping the smile on his face. ‘You know how it is… Work, work, work, work…’

‘Erm, no.’ Fuller laughed. ‘Anyway…’

He walked in Oliver’s office and sat down on the couch, as if he owned the place.

‘Hello, Felicity.’ He winked.

Oliver saw Felicity’s cheeks flush, as she shifted uncomfortably. ‘Hello, Mr. Fuller.’

‘How are you?’ he continued. ‘Beautiful as always.’

Oliver’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t gonna sit there and listen to Max flirt with Felicity. Especially, if that made her so uncomfortable.

‘Felicity,’ he spoke too.

Her head snapped in his direction. ‘Yes, Mr. Queen?’

‘You were telling me about these… files…’ Oliver furrowed his eyebrows, in an attempt to come up with a valid excuse for her to leave the office. ‘About… that thing…’

At first Felicity seemed confused, but a few seconds later she caught up, as her mouth formed the perfect O-shape. ‘Oh!’ She exclaimed. ‘Those files, right. Yes, I need to… I need to work on them. They might take some time.’

‘Oh, come on, Felicity.’ Max pleaded. ‘Stay for a cup of coffee.’

‘I really can’t.’ she lied, as she headed for the door. ‘I need to see those files. They are… very important. I’ll be just outside if you need me.’

With that she was gone and Oliver saw her sitting on her own chair with a sigh of relief. A grin he couldn’t suppress appeared on his face as she looked at him and mouthed ‘ _Thank you’_.

He winked at her and brought his attention back to the guy next to him.

‘So what’ve you been up to?’ Max asked as he casually sat on Oliver’s sofa.

‘Told you.’ Oliver answered proudly. ‘I’ve been working. I’m really nailing this CEO thing.’

‘Oh, c’mon…’ Max chuckled. ‘I highly doubt that’s the only thing you’re nailing.’

‘I-’

‘Hey, hey… No judgment from me, bro.’ Max raised his hands. ‘I’m happy for you. Us, guys… we support each other. The other day I was in Vegas, went to a casino. I won a few games. Chicks dig winners. I got back to my hotel with three girls.’

‘That’s…’ Oliver put on a fake smile. ‘Wonderful. Congrats.’

‘Wait, wait… I’m not done yet.’ Fuller grinned. ‘On our way to my room, met two more. One of them was the hottest girl I’ve ever seen so I invited them too. We had our own slumber party.’

Oliver tried hard to keep from wincing. Looking at Max’s smug grin, his disrespectful way of talking, and his cockiness, he felt disgusted. He remember days when he would do stuff like that too, and how he looked just like Max. He loathed this old version of himself and wanted nothing to do with it. Because people like ‘Ollie’, Carter Bowen and Max Fuller didn’t have any values, self-respect and had self-destructing behavior. Those people lived for nothing, and died for nothing. Oliver wasn’t going to be like that.

‘Good for you, Carter.’ Oliver nodded. ‘Now, let’s look at these documents, shall we? My board spoke with your board members and we decided that the mutual work of the two companies has been beneficial to both parties. I mean, the stock market-’

He looked up for a second to meet his interlocutor’s eyes, but instead found Max looking at something behind Oliver’s back. Oliver furrowed his eyebrows, annoyed at Max’s lack of interest in the conversation, but followed his gaze and looked over his own shoulder. He felt a pang in his heart, when he saw Felicity typing something on her computer, a red pen wrapped around her lips. She looked gorgeous as ever… And Max had obviously acknowledged that if the determined look on his face was any indication.

‘Man…’ Fuller let out a deep sigh pulling Oliver from his thoughts. ‘How do you get any work done while she’s standing right in front of you?’

Oliver cleared his throat. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘Do you not see her?’ Max pointed at Felicity, who was clearly oblivious to their conversation.

‘I-I do.’ Oliver stuttered.

‘Doesn’t she distract you?’ Max asked. ‘I know she distracts me. She’s so fucking hot.’

‘ _Hot’_ was such an understatement to describe Felicity, according to Oliver. She wasn’t food to be hot, she was a woman and she was beautiful. Men saw that. And Oliver hated that.

‘I mean, I know she’s your sister’s friend so that must be stopping you, huh?’ Max chuckled.

‘Nothing’s stopping me.’ Oliver argued. ‘If I wanted something with her, I would have pursued it. But I don’t. She’s a friend and a colleague.’

‘Mate, no offence, but you sound like a pussy.’ Fuller laughed, causing Oliver to tighten the grip on the files he had in his hands. ‘Anyway, I was kidding. I know why you can’t do anything. She’s your secretary and I know it’s not allowed. Gotta be professional, right?’

‘Right.’ Oliver gritted his teeth.

‘She ain’t _my_ secretary, though.’

‘Max…’ Oliver tilted his head to the side. ‘Let’s leave Felicity alone and focus on our work.’

‘Do you know if she’s seeing someone?’

‘Max-’

‘For fuck’s sake, mate, help a brother out.’ Max sighed.

‘She’s sleeping with me!’Oliver let out before he could stop himself.

Max’s eyes went wide, and in that moment Oliver knew he fucked up.

‘What did you just say?’ Fuller asked in disbelieve. ‘You’re banging your little sister’s bestie?’ he smiled wickedly.

‘Well, not really, I-’ Oliver tried to correct himself.

‘When can I tap that?’ Max interrupted him.

‘What?’ Oliver’s eyebrows shot up.

‘Now that you’ve fucked her… you know what they say, sharing is caring.’ The other guy grinned.

‘You… you don’t want to sleep with her.’ Oliver told him.

‘Why not?’

‘She’s not… good.’ Oliver said.

Technically, that was a lie. Oliver knew he was acting like a dick, but that was the only way for Max to leave Felicity alone, he knew that from experience. Guys like that didn’t stop at ‘She’s in a relationship’, ‘She’s married’, ‘She’s been with your friend’, ‘It’s not right’… If they wanted a girl nothing stopped them… unless they knew the girl’s just not worth it.

Oliver knew that she was worth it. Hell, she was probably the best he’d ever had… But he wasn’t going to let Max try that. He wasn’t going to let anyone try her.

‘She’s pretty boring, actually.’ Oliver continued putting his ‘Ollie’ smile. ‘Been there, done that. Not going back and not recommending her. Pretty classic, nothing interesting. Guys like us deserve better. After all, she’s just a secretary, right?’  

Max looked over Oliver’s shoulder and his mouth fell slightly open, as if he’d seen a ghost. The familiar clicking sound on heels on the floor, caused Oliver to jump from his seat and turn abruptly. His whole body tensed as he saw Felicity striding to them with an angry look on her face.

‘Felicity…’ he started.

‘I just came to drop these by.’ She threw a few papers on his table and turned to walk away.

‘Felicity, wait.’ Oliver stood up.

‘I finished my work for today, so I’ll be heading out.’ She said, as she left the room.

‘Felicity!’ Oliver chased after her.

She went to her desk and took her bag, before heading towards the elevator. Oliver ran after her and when they were finally hidden from Max’s curious eyes, he grabbed her elbow and turned her towards him.

‘Felicity, I didn’t mean any of that.’ He explained.

‘Oh, fuck you, Oliver!’ she tried pushing him away. ‘Go to hell!’

‘I’m sorry, I swear, that meant nothing to-’

‘Don’t touch me!’ she struggled to move away from him.

‘Would you just listen?’ he begged.

‘NO!’ she shouted. ‘I don’t ever want to talk to you again. From now on, I’ll just be your ‘secretary’. Go ahead, Oliver. Find what ‘you deserve’. Find something ‘interesting’.’

‘I didn’t mean that shit!’ Oliver yelled back.

‘Then why’d you say it, huh?’ Felicity pushed him by the chest. ‘Why’d you go and talk about sex with that douche, huh? Why’d you have to humiliate me like that?’

With every sentence, she pushed him harder and harder.

‘Felicity…’ he whispered.  

‘Fuck you, Oliver.’ She shook her head, disappointment and pain written on her face. ‘You disgust me.’

With those words she walked in the elevator, leaving Oliver all alone with his guilt, pain and disappointment with himself.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Felicity was walking down the street with angry steps, when she finally reached her mother’s restaurant. She didn’t bother greeting anyone she just stormed in and headed straight for the storage. It was usually the only place where no one went since it was way too cold but right now Felicity didn’t care. She just wanted to be alone. Just as she reached the door, a voice called for her.

‘Felicityy!’

 _Crap_ …

Felicity turned around to face a grinning Sara, who ran to her and embraced her.

‘Hi… Sara.’ Felicity muttered.

‘You’re early.’ Sara spoke. ‘Donna told us you’d be coming later.’

‘Yeah, well…’ Felicity sighed. ‘I finished earlier.’

‘She also informed us that you’re bringing… Oliver.’ Sara said.

The mention of _his_ name caused Felicity’s skin to burn. Her blood was boiling, and she was still hurting from his words to Fuller. She felt like a few angry tears were about to escape her eyes so she quickly blinked them away.

‘Um, no… Just me.’ She said.

‘Thank God… Laurel was on the verge of a mental breakdown.’ Sara chuckled. ‘She was so worried that her new boyfriend and her ex were about to fight because of her. I mean… Oliver doesn’t give a shit about her. Hell, he doesn’t give a shit about anyone.’

‘Look, why are we still talking about him?’ Felicity asked. ‘This is about our family. Not him.’

‘Alright, alright…’ Sara raised her hands in surrender. ‘Don’t get all fired up. We know he’s your friend.’

Felicity swallowed hard. _Friend_ …

Apparently, they weren’t friends, though. Because friends didn’t talk shit about other friends. Friends defended other friends. Friends cared about other friends’ feelings.

Things that Oliver Queen obviously didn’t do.

‘By the way,’ Sara continued. ‘Something weird happened. After that night we got high, I thought Laurel would come to me and we’d fight again. Much to my surprise, she actually came and we talked about my travels. We… actually bonded.’

Felicity smiled. At least her oldest sister listened to her words.

‘It’s like…’ Sara grinned. ‘It’s like she finally realized how I’ve been feeling. And she was there for me. And she cared.’

‘I’m really happy to hear that.’ Felicity said back.

The two of them walked out and went to the table where Quentin, Donna, Laurel and her boyfriend were seated. Everyone greeted and welcomed Felicity and when she and Sara sat down as well, they started talking and eating.

The few hours she spent with them, Felicity enjoyed it. She loved her family. She was almost happy.

 _Almost_.

In the back of her mind Oliver’s words still burned her. They were cutting her like a knife.

And although she was smiling and laughing, on the inside Felicity was bleeding. She was hurt and humiliated. She had trusted him again, and he’d hurt her. Again.

She had felt something switch between them. She didn’t know what, but she… saw him differently. In what way, she didn’t know. But she felt strong emotions for him. And maybe that’s the reason why she was becoming more sensitive when it came to him. Maybe that’s why she was hurting more than before. Maybe that’s why right now she felt like she being burned alive.

At around 6 p.m. she finally said her goodbyes to her family and headed out. She decided to walk back to her apartment since it was only an hour away and started walking. She wanted to clear her head. She needed to.

Unfortunately for her, she spent the whole walk back home thinking about Oliver. Just him.

She thought about his last words, she thought about him helping her with the horse, she thought about the first time they’d slept together, she thought about their trips to different places, she thought about her first kiss with him and many, many more.

Just as she reached the corner of her street, she saw her building’s stairs were filled with flowers. Her mouth fell open, when she saw Gary, the doorman, arguing with some guy about the flowers.

‘I’m sorry but I can’t take all of these flowers in.’ he yelled. ‘There’s over a dozen of bouquets!’

The next words had Felicity frozen in place.

‘There are one hundred bouquets and I’m begging you, please. It’s really important. Please, just, these have to be taken to Felicity Smoak’s apartment! They have to-’

She watched stunned as Oliver turned around in that exact moment, as if he’d sensed her presence. He looked like a mess. His hair looked like it had been run through a million times, and his eyes looked tired like he hadn’t slept for days.

The second he saw her though, the light was back in them and suddenly he looked more alive than ever.

‘Hi!’ he said as he walked down the stairs to her.

She stared him right in the eyes, and with her peripheral vision she saw Gary walking in, leaving them alone.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked after a few silent moments.

‘I…’ he looked down and sighed. Then he lifted his gaze and met hers again. ‘I came to apologize.’

Felicity looked at the flowers on the stairs. _A hundred bouquets_ … No one had ever given her so many flowers.

‘I could’ve stayed at my mom’s place, or gone on a holiday…’ she spoke. ‘How did you know I was gonna walk back home right now at this moment?’

‘I didn’t.’ he admitted.

Felicity looked at him and raised her eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

‘I just…’ Oliver continued. ‘I just told myself I’d count to 100 and if you didn’t show up I’d leave.’

That made Felicity smile slightly. ‘Really? And what number did you get to? Given that you’re still here?’

‘Honestly?’ his mouth lifted upwards just a bit. ‘2418. But I would’ve counted more till you showed up. I would’ve counted to eternity.’

At that Felicity softened.

‘I really am sorry about today, Felicity.’ Oliver spoke again much more serious than a few moments ago. ‘I swear to you, I didn’t mean that. It’s just… Max wanted to make a move on you and this was the only way to stop him. I couldn’t let him do that to you. It’s just, guys like us don’t deserve you. You deserve so much more.’

That was the Oliver she knew, Felicity thought as he spoke. He was honest and it was written in his eyes.

‘Well,’ she cleared her throat. ‘Next time you should let me handle it myself. I’m a big girl and can take care of douchebags like him on my own.’

‘I know.’ Oliver spoke softly as he reached for her hand, tangling their fingers. ‘But I feel better when I know I’ve helped you. I mean, today was… not a good example and I’m gonna beat myself up for it forever but… I just… I always want to protect you.’

Felicity shivered slightly as he placed his forehead on top of her head.

‘Please, forgive me.’ He whispered into her hair. ‘Please.’

Felicity let out a long sigh. ‘Alright.’ She mumbled. ‘Fine.’

Then his hands wrapped around her waist as he pulled her even closer to him. She decided to hug him back as he squeezed her tightly to him, unwilling to let her go.

They stood like that for God knows how long, when Felicity finally pulled away. He released her just slightly and walked her back to the entrance of the building.

‘Thanks for apologizing and um… I’ll see you tomorrow at work.’ Felicity smiled at him.

‘Whoa whoa whoa!’ Oliver stopped her. ‘What about the flowers?’

‘What about them?’ Felicity furrowed her eyebrows.

‘You are just gonna leave them here outside?’ he asked.

‘Well, I can’t take them in.’

‘But I bought them for you!’ Oliver exclaimed.

‘Oliver, I don’t have enough room for all of them!’ Felicity argued.

‘I don’t care.’ He said. ‘We’re at least taking _some_ of them in.’

Before Felicity could argue he grabbed a few bouquets and walked in the building.

‘C’mon.’ he urged her. ‘Don’t fall behind.’

Half an hour later they finally finished and apparently Felicity’s apartment could only have 35 of those bouquets.

‘Well,’ he spoke as he lied on her couch. ‘Next time I piss you off I’ll know the exact number so that we don’t waste flowers.’

‘Next time you piss me off, I might not forgive you at all.’ Felicity said and lied down next to him.

The second she did, his hands wrapped around her pulling her flush to his body.

‘Don’t scare me like that.’ He mumbled into her hair. ‘I’m really tired, you know.’

‘From what?’ she asked.

‘Carrying all these flowers.’ He told her. ‘Can I crash on your couch tonight?’

Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘You’re such an idiot, Oliver Queen.’

‘What?’ he asked innocently. ‘My back hurts so much.’

‘Crybaby.’ Felicity chuckled. ‘Ugh… fine.’

‘Great!’ he smiled at her. ‘What are we gonna do?’

‘I was going to have a Sherlock marathon.’ She informed him.

‘Was that the guy that fought with… what’s his name?’ Oliver struggled. ‘Voldemort?’

Felicity blinked at him a few times. ‘Your knowledge in pop culture is depressing me.’

With that Felicity stood up and walked to the TV and switched on Netflix. Then she went back to the couch right into Oliver’s warm embrace.

‘So…’ Oliver pushed his hips into hers. ‘Are we gonna Netflix and chill?’

Felicity couldn’t help but giggle. ‘Not a chance, Queen. Not a chance.’

Oliver laughed. ‘Well, I had to try.’

They spent the whole night watching TV, snuggled together in their little bubble.

Away from drama, away from talks, away from eyes.

Just the two of them and their growing feelings between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was it from me. Hope you liked it. If you did give me a few kudos and please drop me a comment with your opinion. Next chapter (I don't know when I'll write it) is going to be BIG because somebody will finally realise their feelings *wink*  
> See you next time! I hope it won't take too long.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it!   
> If you did please give me kudos. Leave me a comment saying what you thought!  
> Feel free to talk to me on tumblr: http://xoxo-wild-one.tumblr.com/ and twitter: https://twitter.com/Berry_Sabit  
> Thanks for reading!


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